Awake in the Dream
by GengaJupite
Summary: The Wind Fish has awakened, and the dream of Koholint has vanished. Link washes up on the shores of Hyrule, devastated by the loss of his beloved Marin. After being rescued, he meets Malon, who gives him a new reason to exist. However, when his dreams begin to affect reality, Link must make a choice that will decide the fate of his existence. Does not follow game chronology.
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Hey, everybody, GengaJupite here! It's been a while since I started writing in a different fandom, but I've been planning this one for a while now. Just to clarify what I meant in the summary by not following the official chronology, this is sort of a cross-dimensional story that succeeds _Link's Awakening _and brings him into the Hyrule of _Ocarina of Time_. There won't actually be any OoT game content aside from the locations and characters presented. Hopefully that's straightforward enough, but if not…well, you'll understand once this starts going.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Legend of Zelda. All rights go to Nintendo.

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_**Awake in the Dream**_

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A melody of finality. A signifier of destruction. The final sendoff for a world that never existed. The sound rang throughout the black void where the Wind Fish had finally been freed from its nightmares. Each instrument floated in the air as if played by the very consciousness of the Wind Fish itself, building upon the layers and richness of the music as it continued to awaken. With each crescendo, the world itself seemed to shake, caught in a quake that would wipe out the dream entirely; however, a metaphor it was not, for this dream world truly would disappear, along with everything in it.

Standing atop the platform in the void, Link gazed forlornly at the world as it dissipated below him. His time on Koholint Island had been short, and from the very beginning his intention had been to leave. Now that the time to leave had reached him, however, Link found that his heart could not part with this land. The people of Koholint had shown him such kindness, such patience, such joy, and he never could have imagined that every single one of them was nothing more than a figment of a god's unconscious dreaming.

"Link…"

The hero spun around at the sound of a voice, _her_ voice. Standing before him was the first person he'd met here, the one who saved him when he washed up on the shores of the island.

"Marin," he mumbled in disbelief. Was she truly here? It was impossible, wasn't it? Then again, this was still a dream, a crumbling dream in which no anomaly was too impossible at this point.

He wanted to speak more, say her name over and over, but the dryness of his throat caught any and all words that tried to escape. His vision began to blur as tears welled up in his eyes. She, like everything else on this island, was nothing more than an imaginary being created by the Wind Fish's subconscious, and would disappear just as everything else would. He couldn't accept it, _wouldn't_ accept that it was true, but at the same time he knew there was no way to deny what was happening before his very eyes.

Holding the orchid in place, Marin smiled sadly at Link as she tucked her silky, auburn hair behind her ear. "We had a lot of fun, didn't we?" she said, her voice noticeably holding back a sob. "I'm going to miss it."

"No," Link choked out as he took a burdened step toward her. "Marin, please don't say that; don't act like…like this is the end. Y-You're real, I know you are!" Shakily grasping onto her shoulders, he cried out in vain. "See? You're right here in front of me! You're real!"

The more he denied the truth, the heavier his heart became, and Link soon found that he could no longer blink back the tears in his eyes. He tightly squeezed his eyes shut and felt his legs wobble as the truth overtook him. There had to be a way to keep her with him! Marin was no longer just a figment of the Wind Fish's imagination; she was now a piece of Link's heart, nay, his entire heart itself! If he lost her, he would lose everything.

Feeling Marin's arms gently circle around his midsection finally broke Link down to the point of sobbing. Firmly wrapping his arms over her shoulders, he buried his face into her sweet-smelling hair, allowing his tears to freely flow onto her fiery locks.

"Were you happy, Link?" she mumbled softly into his chest. "Were you happy that I found you on that day and brought you home?"

Attempting to control his breathing, Link nodded and looked at her through misty eyes. "It's the best thing that happened to me since I washed up on the shore. Of course I was happy; it made me happier than anything else in the world."

Marin looked up at him, the melancholic smile remaining on her face as she did so. "I see," she said simply, her own eyes beginning to glisten and shimmer. "I'm so glad…that I could do that for you. Link…you mean so much to me…and I had to make sure that I didn't let you down."

"Marin," Link sobbed, gritting his teeth while he fought back his overwhelming sadness. "I can't…I can't lose you. How can I go on living without you? We've only been together for a short time, but I can't even imagine life without seeing you every day. I…I…"

"Shh, it's okay," she soothed, rubbing her hands along his back. "Even if I don't really exist, I'll still treasure every moment we've spent together, Link. You can't stop fate, though, and this was destined to happen from the moment you first washed up on this island. Look around you now, though. The world is gone, and we're the last two beings left. That has to mean something, doesn't it?"

Lifting his head, Link gazed around to find that, sure enough, nothing but the two of them embracing one another in a black void could be seen in any direction. He had failed to notice Koholint Island's disappearance, though it mattered not, as the only part of this dream he still needed was Marin. Soon enough, though, she, too, would disappear like the rest of the island, the dream, had already done.

"Link," she whispered softly, her voice floating around them like a gentle breeze, "can you close your eyes? There's nothing left for you to see, so I want you to burn every sensation of this moment into your mind. The sound, the smell, the feel, all of it."

Heeding her instructions, the hero slowly shut his eyes and wrapped the auburn-haired beauty tighter in his arms. He would never forget anything about Marin, and taking in her tantalizing scent, her gentle touch, and her soothing voice at this time would only be adding to the collection of unforgettable memories he'd had with this amazing girl.

His body began to relax as the sound of Marin's humming filled the air. Enveloping him in the warmth of the familiar tune, Link, himself, began humming along, allowing his emotions to fill every note. A tear squeezed through his shut eyelid as he realized that this would be the final memory of his beloved Marin. His notes began to go off tune as his sad emotions overtook him, but Marin continued to keep him on track with her lovely, pitched melody.

So entranced by the melody of her song, Link would not have noticed that Marin had stopped humming had she not spoken, but as the words reached his ears, he heard them loud and clear.

"Thank you…and goodbye, Link…"

"Marin!"

Link's eyes shot open as he cried out her name, but they were met with an unfamiliar sight, and the brightness of the scene blinded him momentarily. When his vision had finally cleared enough for him to see, an overwhelming feeling of depression washed over him.

He was back at sea.

The rolling blue waves of the ocean dipped up and down, splashing against his face to leave a salty taste and feel. The soft, slender body of Marin that he had clung to so passionately was now nothing more than a wooden plank that kept him afloat. As he looked around the area, not a trace of Koholint Island could be seen. Only the wreckage of his small raft was around the immediate area, giving the impression that he had only been unconscious for a short period of time.

"No…no, no, no…" he mumbled, searching around the area for any sign of Koholint or Mabe Village.

It was like he had woken from a dream, only to find himself in a nightmare instead of reality. The endless blue in all directions taunted him, toying with his emotions and ingraining the reality of the situation he now found himself in. Link repeatedly shut and reopened his eyes, submerging his head beneath the water occasionally as if these actions would bring back the nonexistent island. Each time he looked upon the ocean, though, his heart sank in defeat a little more. It was hopelessly futile, and nothing he could do would bring back Marin or the island.

Paddling toward a larger, curved section of his destroyed boat, Link seated himself on it with his head hung down. An odd sound filled the sky, and Link gazed upwards as the sun began darkening, only to realize that it was the sound of the Wind Fish flying overhead toward some unknown destination. It flew slowly as if it were mocking him for the trials he had overcome to rescue it. It had all amounted to nothing, and what did he have to show for his efforts? A broken heart and the memories of people and events that never existed in the first place.

Despite waking up only minutes ago, the hero suddenly found himself feeling drowsy. Perhaps it was the stress of everything that had just happened – or rather had not happened – so he laid himself down, making sure to keep his head raised from anywhere the water might be able to get him. As the gentle sound of the waves soothed his weary mind and aching soul, the memory of Marin's song lulled him into a lonesome, dreamless sleep…

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

It was days before Link finally drifted onto a landmass of some sort, and the feeling of land beneath him seemed almost foreign. Waking up on the sandy shores of some unknown beach was quite the contrast to finding himself in a warm bed with a pretty girl in the room. With what little strength he had, the warrior struggled to pick himself up and slowly dragged his feet up the sandy dune before him.

The sight he was met with was more hopeless than he could have imagined. As far as the eye could see, the land was covered in nothing but sand. Thick clouds of sand and dust carried by the wind obscured the distance he could actually see, and it seemed as though he'd washed up on the shores of a desert. Looking around through his weary eyes, it didn't seem as though the ocean's shoreline would lead anywhere either, as the desert seemed to stretch on endlessly in all directions..

However, rather than planning out a logical way to move forward, Link simply stepped into the fury of the desert, allowing his feet to carry him wherever they would. What would be the point in planning? He was already malnourished, dehydrated, and on the brink of death, and with his true happiness being nothing but a figment of some god's imagination, he really felt there was no reason to try living any longer than his body would hold out for.

The heat was sweltering, and what small amounts of water still remained in Link's body were sweated out in large amounts. For most of the time, he kept his eyes shut to avoid the stinging grains from blowing into them. To him, the idea of sight was only a burden at this point, as he had no idea which way to head and had no intention of finding civilization out here. After seeing nothing but blue for days on end, the idea of seeing only sand provided little comfort, so rather than subjecting himself to the torture of sight, he simply wandered blindly.

It wasn't long before the desert had surrounded him on all four sides. Even if he had wanted to turn back, which he certainly had no reason to, it would be impossible to tell which direction to go in. The sands had shifted and obscured any sort of footprints he may have left, and on the rare occasions he would open his eyes the heat played tricks on his vision. With each step, Link felt his body weakening, as if sending the energy out through his feet where it disappeared into the ground. Finally, after what felt like hours of walking, Link collapsed to his knees, unable to take another step farther.

"What's the use?" he spoke aloud, spitting out the sand that blew into his mouth. "I have nothing left, even if I find some sort of civilization. All my memories with her…those months I spent with Marin are gone… No, they never even existed. I was stuck in a dream…a dream that only lasted for one night…"

He had no tears to cry, so instead he began punching at the sand in front of him, sending small waves of dust up into the air as he furiously pounded at the ground. How could someone live when their reason to live was taken away? He had thought he was done with adventuring and was finally ready to live like a normal person, only to find that the home he wished to return to was fictional. There was no home to go back to; he was alone in this world of reality.

Curling up in a ball, Link began to accept the fact that he would die here in this desert. If his body were ever found, he would be nothing more than a nameless man who fell victim to the extreme conditions of the desert. Death did not seem like such a bad thing anymore, though. If he died, there was a chance he would join Marin in a place where non-existent souls found refuge.

He smiled in a delirious manner. If it meant he could see her again, then he would gladly welcome death and spend eternity with the woman he loved. Unless there was a way to bring her into reality, then there would be no reason to fight for his life.

"You can't…"

The sound of Marin's voice filled him with energy, and Link sprang up, calling out her name above the hiss of the sandy wind. However, as he looked around, the orchid-bearing girl was nowhere to be seen, and it was apparent that he'd simply imagined her voice. Was it his subconscious trying to keep him alive? Pathetic. Even when he'd accepted his fate, his mind fought against him to go on.

"What's wrong with me?!" he screamed, dropping to his knees and striking the sand again. Why couldn't he simply die, let go of the world and pass on like any person stranded in a desert would do. He no longer had the will to live, so shouldn't he have perished long ago? Apparently not, as his body and mind did not wish to give up yet, regardless of what he ordered them to do.

From the corner of his eye, a flicker of red flashed momentarily, and considering everything else was some shade of brown or beige, it seemed to stand out quite a bit. Quickly casting his gaze in the direction of the source, his eyes widened, ignoring the sting of dust in his eyes.

There in the distance, the image of Marin seemed to be standing on the sand, smiling toward him.

"M-…Marin…?" he called. She didn't answer, but beckoned him over with her hand.

Was it possible? Was she truly standing that short distance away? No, it had to be the heat. His exhaustion and the conditions of the desert were playing tricks on him. It was like finding an oasis, only seeing her was infinitely better than any oasis could be. Even though he knew it was impossible, the urge to make his way toward her was unbearable, and his legs began moving automatically toward her image.

As he wobbled toward her, calling out her name, Link failed to realize that he was not getting any closer to the woman he loved. Even when his legs gave out beneath him, he continued to crawl across the blazing sands, ignoring any sort of burns he might be getting on his skin. Pain didn't matter; he had to catch her. The idea that she was a mirage no longer crossed his mind, and he had reached the stage of believing she was truly standing a short distance away, though he had yet to reach her.

His delirious hope of catching up to her came to a halt as she began to turn around, though. He felt his heart sink as her image turned around and began walking away from him. If he allowed her to keep walking, she would disappear for the second time in his life. He couldn't accept that, not when she was so close!

"Marin!" he cried, racing on his hands and knees like an animal to catch her. It seemed that with each movement he made, she would get farther and farther away, and before he knew it, she was gone from his sight.

Realizing that he had no idea where she had gone, Link collapsed in an exhausted heap. His entire energy reserve had been wasted in a futile attempt to catch a mirage, and in the end it hadn't paid off. Sprawling out on his back, he had somehow failed to notice that he'd wound up next to a flag post of sorts. The red fabric flitted about in the wind, and it was possible that this was what he had been chasing after all this time. What this flag signified was now irrelevant, however, and whether it was a marker for crossing the desert or simply a stray flag left from long ago meant nothing for a dying man without the energy left to move an inch.

Shutting his eyes, Link sighed, feeling the cold embrace of death stealing away his consciousness. "Looks like I'll be seeing you again soon…Marin…"

And with that, he fell unconscious, completely unaware of the figures rapidly approaching him…

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Wow, that was way shorter than anything else I've written… I suppose it's more of a prologue than an actual chapter, but still, anything less than 4000 words for me is pretty uncommon.

Well, now that the story's been set up to start taking off, hopefully the whole LA/OoT Crossover thing makes sense, as I'm hoping it's obvious enough where he is right now. Next chapter will be Malon's debut, and the chapter should be significantly longer, as there are a number of things that will be going on in it.

_Edit 6/30/2014: After recently completing chapter eight, it's become clear that this whole chronology-destroying crossover is still leaving people with questions of past events and whatnot, so I will clear that all up right here so that it does not continue to be an issue. To follow along with this story, forget everything you know about the official Zelda chronology/timeline. The events that happened prior to Link's arrival on Koholint are not important to this story, and thus will never be specified. Treat each game's events as their own separate entities, and, while you can certainly choose to believe that the other games happened (such as the events of_ A Link to the Past _or __the _Oracle_ games)_,_ it's possible that there may end up being contradictions with those stories as this story progresses. All that needs to be known for now is that the events of _Link's Awakening_ occurred, Link just awoke from the Wind Fish's dream, and he has now washed up somewhere – nothing more, nothing less. If and/or when you get to the future chapters and find out specifically where he is and what he mentions about his past before Koholint, continue to refer to this message, as it should serve as a reminder that the only _**specific**_ events that have occurred are those of _Link's Awakening.

Thanks to anyone who checked this out! Don't forget to leave a review!

_-GengaJupite_


	2. Talon and Malon

Well, for such a short start, I'm glad I've collected a small gathering of followers for this story. I'm not too sure how often I'll be updating, considering I'm in school and have three ongoing multi-chaps, but I'll try not to space updates too far apart from one another.

One note before I start, there is no Ingo in this fic. For a while I was debating whether or not to put him in, but eventually I settled for not having him. If for whatever reason I decide to include him, he won't have much of a role or even be working at Lon Lon Ranch.

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

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_Talon and Malon_

_The sound of waves filled the air, accompanied by the squawks of seagulls and the scent of the ocean. The atmosphere was warm, as if the sun was directing all its heat onto one spot. The smell of tropical fruits and fish wafted along the salty sea breeze, lifting up the spirits of any who may be fortunate enough to experience it._

_Slowly opening his eyes, Link's vision was clouded by a haze of some sort. Rubbing at them gently, the blurred scene reconstructed into what appeared to be the inside of a small home. As he looked around, the scene became more and more familiar, from the table in the corner of the room to the single bed on his right. Was this some sort of dream? It wasn't possible that he could have returned…_

_The sound of someone snoring caught his attention, and he glanced upwards to see a chubby man napping in a rocker while the sunlight streamed in through the window onto him. A large, round nose ruffled the man's moustache with each exhale, and the sound of his breathing was almost comically loud. Unable to find another way to react, Link chuckled lightly at the sight of Tarin, a man who had basically been a father figure while he lived on Koholint Island._

"_You're awake."_

_Quickly shooting his gaze toward the doorway, Link's heart nearly stopped at the sight his eyes were met with. Standing in the doorway with a small tub of water was the woman he thought he would never see again. She smiled at him so peacefully, as if he had never left, but he knew that it had been days, possibly even weeks since he had seen her. Was any of this possible, or had he died and reunited with her in the afterlife?_

"_M-Marin," he stuttered as she pulled a chair up next to the bed and sat beside him. "Is it…is it really you?"_

_She giggled and dipped a cloth into the water, wringing it out before she placed it on his forehead. "Of course it's me. This is my house, after all. Were you expecting someone else to be here?"_

_Link could not tell if she was messing with him. How could she act so nonchalant at a time like this? They had literally been separated in such a way that would make it impossible to see each other. Unless he was dead or this was some kind of dream, none of this could be real. This house, Marin, Tarin, the bed he was lying in, the entire island itself shouldn't even exist!_

"_How is this possible?" he asked, pulling his hands out from underneath the sheets to look at them. "This place…this island… Everything should be gone."_

"_Shh," Marin soothed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just take it easy right now. You need to rest, Link. Once you've regained your strength, I'll show you just how real all of this is. For now, just close your eyes."_

_As she stood up, Link quickly grasped onto her wrist. Turning back to him, she smiled and placed the water tub on her chair. Using her free hand to gently hold onto his tense one, Link felt himself relax a bit as their eyes met._

"_Marin…you won't…disappear again, will you?" he asked shakily, his hand trembling in fear of what might happen if he heeded her words._

_Marin shook her head and bent down over him, her long auburn hair dangling around his face. "I promise I'll be right here when you wake up. Have a little faith in me, love."_

_Link fully relaxed as she cupped his cheek in her hand. Her words worked wonders, even if he wasn't sure he could believe her. Slowly shutting his eyes, the hero felt his consciousness begin to fade, and as he slowly allowed the sleep to overtake him, he felt Marin's lips press softly against his own. As if placing him under a spell, the kiss sent him straight to sleep, and he did not even stay conscious long enough to feel her pull away._

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

"Hey now, it looks like he's comin' to! Mal, go fetch some milk!"

"Right!"

Link groaned as he stretched out his body. Had he even slept at all? It felt as though Marin had just sent him into his deep slumber only moments ago. Somehow, his body and mind still felt as though he had rested fully, but he could have sworn that he just fell asleep. In any case, it wasn't really an issue at the moment.

Before even opening his eyes, Link couldn't help crinkling his nose at the odd smell of wherever he was. To put it bluntly, it stunk of animal. Having taken care of a horse or two in the past, he knew all too well that one large animal could be rather pungent, but this was overwhelming. Cracking open his eyes, he was rather surprised to find himself in an unfamiliar setting. The walls were rather plain, adorned only by a few hanging pictures and a medium-sized window across from him. The bed he found himself lying in was coarser than he was used to, like a straw mattress of some sort. While Marin and Tarin's home had been nothing spectacular, this room seemed completely different despite also being rather unremarkable.

"You feeling all right there, son?"

Somehow Link had missed seeing the plump man standing beside him. The hero blinked a few times as he and the strange man partook in a brief staring contest. If not for the baldness and brown moustache, this man would look almost identical to Tarin. So taken aback was Link that he could not even begin to process what to say. It was clearly not Tarin, but the resemblance was uncanny, almost unnervingly so.

"Aw, geez, I really hope this kid knows Hylian…" the man muttered to himself while scratching his bald head. "Uh… YOU OKAY? FEEL GOOD? HURT ANYWHERE?"

As if the man's elevated volume had somehow released the lock on Link's vocal cords, he shook his head a bit before speaking. "Oh, y-yeah, I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything."

The man sighed in relief upon hearing Link speak. "Phew, well, I'll be, you had me worried there, fella! Didn't seem like you were ever gonna wake up, and that means a lot comin' from someone like me. Trust me, my daughter would know."

The man laughed heartily with that slight quip to himself, but Link wasn't sure how he was meant to react. As he looked around the unfamiliar room, though, he felt his heart sink at the realization that his reunion with Marin had only been a dream. Of course, it was foolish to think that it had been real, but he truly had felt like he was there in her home again. Everything from the sound of the island to the touch of Marin's lips had been so vivid that it was like this was the dream and that was reality.

"So, you got a name?" the plump man asked once he had stopped laughing.

"Huh? Oh, it's Link."

"Link," the man repeated, putting his hand to his chin in a thinker's pose. "Kind of a weird name, but I'm not one to judge. Call me Talon. No need for a Mr. or anything, you'd make me feel old."

Not only did this man look almost identical to Tarin, but their names were almost the same, too! Link was pretty good with remembering names, but in a situation like this, he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up calling Talon by the wrong name.

"Um, sorry…but where are we?" Link asked, slowly sitting himself up.

"Hmm? Oh, I s'pose you'd be curious about that, given you were passed out when I found you."

"Found me?" Link tried to think back on what had happened since Koholint disappeared, but the only things he could recall were waking up in the middle of the ocean and then having that dream just now. Everything in between was wiped clean from his memory.

"Yup, out in the middle of the Gerudo Desert, no less," Talon whistled and took a seat on a stool next to the bed. "You're a lucky one, though. I haven't had to make a trip out there in who knows how long. There you were, though, collapsed on the sand by one of the marking posts. Those darn Gerudo women said they wouldn't have anywhere to keep you but a jail cell since you're a man. Sounds like a load of bull to me, and I know all about that stuff. Anyway, to answer your question, you're at the one and only Lon Lon Ranch, famous throughout all of Hyrule for our premium milk!"

Link's mind was racing as the last few words left Talon's mouth. The very idea that he'd been found only served to confuse the hero more than answer any questions he might have had. What was he doing out in a desert? How did he make it back to land from the middle of the ocean? Where exactly was this Lon Lon Ranch? Unfortunately, the more pertinent questions weren't ones that Talon could answer.

"I'm surprised by how healthy you are right now, though," Talon remarked, his expression showing his surprise. "You've been passed out for three days since I found you. Just what was a fit young sprout like you crawling around in the desert for?"

"I…I wish I knew," Link said in disappointment. "Honestly, I don't even recall making it onto dry land. The last thing I remember was being out in the middle of the ocean after…after…"

He felt his chest squeeze painfully as he recalled exactly why he had been out in the middle of the ocean. The memories of the actual event were still eluding him, but Link could feel the agony he had gone through as he clawed his way through the desert. To re-experience the emotional pain of hopelessly chasing a mirage through the burning, biting sands of the desert was more than he had prepared himself for. His ears began to block out the sound of Talon's concern as his mind filled with those last moments with Marin.

She was gone; it was all gone.

No, that wasn't quite right. She wasn't gone; she had never existed in the first place. He had fallen in love with an imaginary person, someone created by the unconscious thoughts of a sleeping god. There was no Marin, no Koholint, no anything; the only real things about that entire experience had been the Wind Fish and himself. Everything else was nothing more than a dream, no realer than the mirage he had chased through the desert.

Clutching at the back of his head with both hands, Link dropped his gaze to his lap, unable to find a better way to cope with the pain he was experiencing. After all the physical toil he had been through in his life, the only lasting damage was on an emotional level. How could he hope to pick himself up now? Why did Talon have to save him? It would have been better if he had perished in the desert.

"Dad? Is he doing okay?"

He froze as those words pierced through his deafened ears. Her voice; that was her voice!

Link's deafness to Talon's concerned words was suddenly broken by the sound of Marin's voice. Whipping his head up in the direction of her voice, he began to tremble as he gazed upon the redhead standing before him.

"M-…Marin," he breathed, shakily getting to his feet.

Without thinking, he suddenly rushed at her, grasping her hands in his. She squealed and dropped the tray of milk she'd been carrying, sending it crashing to the ground. Link didn't care, though. She was here in this place, the real world. How was it possible? It wasn't possible, but he didn't care. Her clothes were a little different and she didn't have an orchid in her hair, but she was the same girl he had fallen in love with! Marin was here!

"Hey, take it easy!" Talon said roughly, charging over and pulling Link away from the girl. "I don't care if you're recovering from a coma; no one rushes at my Malon like that!"

"Malon?" Link said, releasing her from his grip. "B-But…I thought…"

Upon realizing his mistake, his legs suddenly gave out from under him, and Link would have collapsed had Talon not been holding him up. With a few grunts of effort, Talon managed to drag Link back onto the bed. Once again rendered speechless, Link stared at Malon in disbelief, unable to comprehend how one could look so much like Marin. As he examined her more, however, her facial features began to differentiate, and he soon realized that his thoughts of Marin from before had simply tricked his mind into thinking it was her.

"I-I'm sorry," he managed to say as he ran a hand through his shaggy hair.

"D-Don't worry about it," Malon responded shakily, wringing her hands together. "No one got hurt, so it's fine."

The room was silent for a while after that. None of the three people knew what to say, so they simply remained where they were, as if frozen by the tension filling the air. Talon kept a sharp eye on Link, Link continued to stare at Malon, Malon nervously darted her eyes between her father and the hero. It wasn't until the sound of restless animals came in through the window that anyone made some sort of movement.

"Ah, shoot, gotta let them out for a while," Talon said as he hopped to his feet. "Mal, clean up this mess, will you? And you, Link; I don't know what your deal is, but I'll let this one slide since you've obviously gone through some rough times. For now, just rest up, but I'll be wanting an explanation later on."

"Yes, sir," Link complied, keeping his gaze fixed on Malon.

As both residents left the room, Link covered his eyes with his palms. Why did he do something like that? It was impossible for Marin to exist in this world and he knew it! Jumping up at some girl simply because she looked a bit like his lost love was completely reckless! He was lucky that Talon seemed to be such an understanding person, but there was no way another slip-up like that would be okay with him.

Link looked up at the sound of glass clinking into a pail. From the bed, he could only see the top part of Malon's head moving around as she picked up the pieces of shattered glass. Should he apologize to her again? He was afraid that saying something might scare her, and making her jump while there was broken glass around was probably a bad idea.

"Um," she mumbled from the foot of the bed, "are you feeling okay?"

Link cocked his head a bit as she peeked up at him. She really did look a lot like Marin, only her face was a bit different. Was this just some odd coincidence that Malon and Talon looked so much like Marin and Tarin, or was Link simply forcing himself to see them in such a way? Either way, it didn't really matter whether they looked like each other or not.

"I'm fine," he said quietly, averting his gaze. "Just a bit weak on my feet is all… I'm really sorry about that, though. I don't know…what I was thinking…"

"It's okay, really," she said sweetly, giving him a small smile. "Like I said, no one got hurt, and you must've had a reason for doing it. Besides, I have horses and cows running towards me all the time; you only startled me because you've been unconscious for three days."

He smirked a bit at the idea of being likened to a horse or cow. His gaze traveled back to the redhead as she stood to her full height. While it hadn't been his intention, he found himself admiring her looks. Though she did look quite a bit like Marin, there was a certain aura to Malon that made her seem much different than the girl from Mabe Village. Malon seemed more reserved than Marin had been, and she was clearly more fit, though that was somewhat a given considering she lived on a farm. Link couldn't quite get a good look at her figure with the loose dress she wore, but that was probably a good thing, as gawking would likely lead to Talon kicking him to the curb.

"I'll be back in a minute," she said, picking up the pail and mop she'd used to clean up the milk. Leaving and re-entering the room, Malon returned with a tall glass of milk to replace the one she had before. Placing it on the table next to Link's bedside, she took a seat on the stool where her father had been sitting before.

"Thanks," Link said and took a sip from the milk. Despite Talon's claims that this milk was famous throughout Hyrule, it really just tasted like regular milk.

"So, 'Link' was it?" Malon asked, to which he nodded in affirmation. "Nice to meet you. I'm Malon. If you don't mind my asking, is it true that my dad found you in the middle of the desert?"

"I have no idea," Link answered flatly, putting the glass back down on the table. "All I remember is waking up in the middle of the ocean with my boat in pieces. Next thing I knew, I woke up here without any memories in between."

"The ocean and then the desert, huh?" she mused, tapping her chin with her index finger. "Sounds like you don't have much luck when it comes to finding civilization."

"Guess not," he chuckled dryly, earning a giggle from her. "Hey, this might sound strange, but…have you ever heard of a place called Koholint?"

"Koholint?" Malon asked, cocking her head to the side. "I don't think so. Is that across the ocean?"

"Er…something like that," Link quickly brushed it off. He knew she wouldn't know about it; after all, it would be ridiculous to expect someone to know about an island that never existed.

"To be honest, I don't know much about geography," Malon admitted sheepishly. "I know my way around Hyrule, but anything outside this kingdom is a mystery to me. I don't have much interest in seeing all the stuff that's out there, though. I guess I'm not really the adventurous type."

"Things are simpler that way," Link said, casting his gaze downward. "I've traveled all around the world, and I was finally ready to settle down, but…some things happened and I wound up here instead."

"Did you not mean to come to Hyrule? That seems surprising, considering how far inland Dad says you were."

"It's not that I wasn't trying to find land, but…it's kind of hard to explain."

Malon eyed him curiously, and Link did his best to avoid making eye contact with her. He wasn't feeling quite ready to explain what he was doing out in the middle of the ocean, and it wouldn't matter even if he was. How was he supposed to explain a situation like the one he had been involved in? True, having encounters with gods and other guardian spirits was not as rare throughout the world as one may expect, but to attempt explaining that he was trapped within the dream of a giant, flying whale would probably get him labeled crazy. He'd already caused enough trouble for Malon and her father.

"Marin," Malon said quietly, causing Link to perk up at the sound of her name. "That's what you called me before, wasn't it?"

"O-Oh…yeah, it was," he spoke shakily, reaching for the glass of milk.

"Was she…someone from that place you mentioned before?"

Link paused for a moment, unsure if he should venture into this conversation. Was he ready to speak about Marin or his memories with her? Considering Malon didn't know much about the world, it would be simple enough to convince her that Koholint Island was real, but it felt too soon for him to return to that subject. At the same time, though, he felt obligated to give his caretakers some kind of explanation; after all, the two of them had saved him from death. While he realized that he had probably wanted to die in the desert he was saved from, Link understood that being saved and taken care of was not something he could treat lightly. The least he could do was give her a short version of his experiences.

"Yeah, I met her on Koholint Island," he spoke slowly and softly, taking a sip from his drink. "I…mistook you for her because you look strangely alike…"

"I see," Malon said, leaning forward so that her elbows were resting on her knees. "I suppose you had to leave her behind for some reason or other, then?"

"In a sense."

"Were you in love with her?"

"Yes."

No hesitation. The word slipped out of his mouth before he even had a chance to think about it; however, he doubted he would have answered in another way. What difference would it make if he pretended that he did not? It wasn't as though lying would make any sort of difference at this point.

"Well, in that case, I'm sure you'll see her again," Malon said cheerily, placing her creamy hand on his arm. He was surprised that her touch was so warm, despite the paleness of her skin.

"It's not that simple," he sighed, meeting her smile with a slight frown. "If I could go back and see her, then I would in a heartbeat, but…there are some circumstances that have made it impossible for me to see her again. I-I'd rather not talk about it…"

"Oh." Malon's cheerful tone turned slightly downcast as she removed her hand from him. "I-I, um… S-Sorry for bringing it up. It must've been hard…being separated from her."

They sat in silence for a while, neither quite sure what to say to the other. The awkward tension from bringing up such a sensitive subject left both of them at a loss for words. Suddenly switching to a different topic might only serve to further the awkwardness, so they simply allowed the sounds of livestock from outside to fill the room.

Link felt a bit guilty for shutting her down so quickly. He knew for a fact that he wasn't ready to go into detail about Marin, but somehow he felt that he had been too quick to avoid the subject. Perhaps if he had done so a bit more gently, then the tension would not continue to stagnate the room. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he could see that she was unsure where to look, constantly flicking her eyes between him and random places in the room.

"U-Um," Malon finally managed to say after what felt like hours of silence, "I-I don't know what your plans are…but you're welcome to stay as long as you need to. I'm sure my dad won't object, and it doesn't sound like you have anywhere to go right now. You might have to help out around the ranch if you plan to stay, though."

"Thanks," he responded quickly, keeping his focus away from her.

"A-And if you ever need someone to talk to…you can come to me. I don't have much experience when it comes to relationships and adventure, but I can at least listen to you if you need to vent or something. Dad'll probably lend an ear to you, too."

Turning to her, Link saw that Malon's cheeks were flushed and she was keeping her gaze fixed on her lap. He couldn't help but crack a tiny smile at how cute she looked. She definitely wasn't the best person for this, but he could see that she was trying, and just that gesture was enough to make him feel a bit better. There weren't many people who would so openly welcome a stranger into their home and help them back onto their feet, especially if that stranger had nothing to offer in return.

"Anyway, you should probably get some rest," she said and quickly stood up while brushing some non-existent dust from her dress. "If you need anything, just shout for one of us. It might seem a bit unorthodox, but it'll be quicker to do that than to try looking for us."

Nodding to her, Link watched as she quickly twirled around and exited the room. Now that he was alone in the room, he came to the realization that he wasn't actually tired. Was it that the three days' rest had replenished his energy? It was certainly possible, and would also help to explain why his legs had given out from under him earlier; after all, three days without use would likely have weakened them enough to make standing an effort.

Rather than heeding Malon and Talon's advice, Link swung his legs over the side of the bed and lightly placed them down. If he took his time, he would be able to wobble around the room at least. Carefully hoisting himself up, the hero felt his legs tremble slightly until he was standing straight up. Gingerly stepping around the room and towards the window, he looked out to see a number of horses running around the fenced area.

Link had not visited many farmlands in his travels, and found the new sight before him rather intriguing. Talon graciously brushed a horse's mane, completely unaware of another chewing on his overalls from behind. On the other side of the small field, a pony shakily wobbled onto its feet and attempted to trot along with some of the older horses. Just below where he was, Link could see Malon spreading grains or seeds of some sort for a flock of cuccoos. To the hero, happy animals in captivity had always seemed like an oxymoron, but the way each of these ones seemed to run and graze in such a carefree manner proved him wrong.

As a gentle breeze blew toward him, it carried a sweet melody along with it. Soothed by the calming sound, he looked down to where Malon was feeding the cuccoos. It was a simple tune that she was singing, but it carried so strongly and seemed to excite the animals as she worked. Link had never heard such an enchanting melody since Marin's Ballad of the Wind Fish, though he had already realized that her song was also something created by the Wind Fish itself.

Laying his head on the windowsill as the sun warmed his skin, Link closed his eyes and allowed the music to fill the atmosphere around him. Allowing only his aural and tactile senses to be stimulated, he relaxed and felt a calming sensation wash over his body and mind. Picturing the island in his head, he could see and sense Mabe Village, filled with happy people and Marin singing by the statue. Perhaps it wasn't real, but he wanted to stay in this peaceful moment for as long as he could. However, the visions slowly began to fade until only Marin stood before him, her song, or rather Malon's song, no longer filling his ears. Smiling her sweet smile at him, she closed her eyes and took deep breath.

"_Sweet dreams, Link."_

And before he had a chance to determine whether the voice was real or not, Link's consciousness slipped, leaving his slumbering body to rest on the windowsill in the light of the afternoon sun.

* * *

It felt longer while I was writing it than it actually turned out being, though I'm not upset with the length. Now that the story has begun, I think I'll be able to start writing chapters that are about this length and longer on a regular basis. Besides, the only way to truly build character relations are through chapters of a decent length, and there needs to be a whole lot of buildup if Link and Malon are going to get anywhere. Of course, his love for Marin needs to dwindle a bit for that to happen, but it's still early in the story.

So, other than one key character that won't show up until much later on, this is basically the main cast of the entire story. Unless I suddenly get inspiration to add someone else in as an important character that will help further the plot, anyone who hasn't appeared yet will probably just be a side character. Even that key character is more or less a side character, but their role is important later on. For now, don't even worry about them, though.

Thanks to **Arison Nakaru, MadSkillz, **and **9tailsfox2** for reviewing! I forgot to mention, and don't take this in a negative way, but I tend only to respond to long-ish reviews most of the time. It's easy enough for me to send out a PM to everyone who reviews that just says "Thanks!" if you leave a one or two line review, but it would seem redundant if I don't actually have anything to say in response. While I am perfectly content with receiving reviews of any sort and will thank everyone in the A/N, I want to make sure everyone knows my responding process so that they don't feel ignored or neglected.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!

_-GengaJupite_


	3. Finding Home

Ah, looks like it's getting around crunch time for school. Three more weeks until I'm finished, so updates might be slow or nonexistent until mid-April. After that, I'm hoping I'll be able to push out a few chapters for all of my stories before May, as I'll be working full time from then until the end of August and will only get a chance to update one story per week (if I'm lucky).

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Finding Home_

"_Well, I'm off to look for some mushrooms in the forest!"_

"_Okay, be careful, Dad!"_

"_Haha, when am I not careful?"_

_The sound of the door shutting was followed by a sigh from the girl who had stayed behind. "I don't think he's ever careful."_

_Inhaling deeply, Link opened his eyes and glanced around the room. Oddly enough, this was not the room he had fallen asleep in just moments ago. Within moments, he was able to recognize the comfy interior as Marin's house, but how he had ended up here was rather odd. Of course, he could only assume that this was some sort of dream, though he'd never found himself aware of his own dreaming before. Perhaps this was one of those lucid dreams he had heard about during his travels. It seemed that that could be the only plausible situation._

"_Good morning."_

_Link sat himself up and looked over to the redhead who was slowly sauntering herself toward him. With her signature smile and orchid in her hair, the hero could do nothing but smile back at her. Assuming this was a lucid dream, it would only make sense that he would recreate Koholint in his mind, as it was the home of his lover._

"_How are you feeling?" she asked softly, taking a seat on the edge of the bed._

_Link stretched out his arms and torso a bit, making sure that he could still move everything before answering. "I'm fine, better than fine, actually. I feel…alive."_

_Marin giggled and gently held his hand. "That's a funny thing to say, considering you've been sleeping as if you were dead. I don't think I've ever seen you sleep so soundly before."_

_Chuckling lightly, Link readjusted himself so that he was sitting next to Marin on the bedside. As he placed his feet on the ground, a strange tingling sensation spread through his legs, as if they had fallen asleep. Crinkling his nose in the slight discomfort, he attempted to add some weight to them, but stopped when they began to wobble._

"_That's strange," he mumbled, attempting to knead out his thigh muscles with the palm of his free hand. Despite this being a lucid dream, it seemed that his leg muscles were still as weakened as they were back in the waking world._

"_What's the matter?" Marin asked when she noticed him shifting his legs around._

"_O-Oh, it's nothing, really," he answered quickly, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "I guess I'm just not at my full strength right now. Seems like my legs are a little weak."_

"_Hmm," the redhead mused, placing a hand on his thigh, much to Link's surprise and embarrassment. "Well, Tarin isn't old enough to need a cane, so there isn't anything here you could use to move around with. I could run to the shop and buy you–… Link? Your face is all red… Are you feeling feverish?"_

"_N-No, it's just…your hand…" he said meekly, beads of sweat beginning to form along his hairline._

_Glancing down, Marin quickly realized how close she had placed her hand to Link's groin. Squeaking a bit, she immediately pulled her hand away and turned the other direction, mirroring his reddened cheeks. Despite sharing strong feelings for one another, Link and Marin had only ever gotten as far as kissing. Anything beyond that would have felt as though they were rushing into things, and even if it didn't, there was always the risk of Tarin coming home at the wrong time._

_Slowly craning their necks back toward each other, the two failed to suppress their laughter at the sight of the other's expression. Fully allowing their giggles to bubble forth, Link and Marin simply enjoyed the moment as they laughed effortlessly beside each other. This was right. This was how things should have been, should still be. If he could have lived like this, he would never have considered awakening the Wind Fish. He had been selflessly helping others for all his life, so what harm would a small amount of greed have done? He was only human, after all._

_Sadly, once their laughter had died down, Link's smile disappeared and, despite his efforts, he could feel his face drop. This could never be. This lucid dream may be the closest thing he could ever experience to being with Marin again, but he knew that his body in the real world was currently lying on a windowsill or perhaps had been moved back to the bed by Talon and Malon. This right here was nothing more than a figment of his imagination, the manifestation of his heart's desire. He could not marry a dream nor spend his life in an endless sleep._

_It hurt to feel Marin's soft, slender body lean again his. It hurt to have her here so close where she was practically with him again. It hurt to know that she was gone._

_No, it wasn't that she was gone; it was that she had never existed in the first place._

"_Link," she said breathily, nuzzling her head on his shoulder, "we'll be together from now on. Promise that you'll stay by my side."_

_The hero bit his lip and forced himself not to look at her. Could he promise something like that? Would it even make a difference if he made a promise to a dream? It wasn't as though he would be lying if he said something to what was essentially his own brain. The problem was that he did not want to lie to her, even if she was imaginary. A promise like that…it meant something genuine._

"_I…I want to, Marin," he said softly, keeping his gaze fixed away from her. "I want to tell you that we'll stay together…but I just can't promise it. I don't know what the future holds…and I've been on the move ever since I can remember. I care about you too much to make a promise I'm not sure I can keep."_

_He expected her to move off of him or react in some sort of way that would indicate she was hurt, but Marin did not do anything at all. For a moment, the two of them sat in silence, and Link began to feel slightly uncomfortable. However, it was not very long before Marin spoke in her gentle, soothing voice once again._

"_I see." Her words were not sad or angry; rather, she sounded the same as always. "I'm glad that you can tell me how you truly feel, even if it isn't what I necessarily want to hear. If that's how you feel, then I'll just have to do everything I can to fight for you and for us."_

_Link couldn't help but smile as she spoke. Marin's words were so empowering and heartfelt, and he found her resolve to be refreshing. Most people would get down on themselves from hearing a response as negative as his had been, but she was different. Whether his memory of her was making her act this way or his subconscious had made it so that she would not respond sadly, Link couldn't say for sure, but the fact that this was a dream seemed not to matter nearly as much as it had before._

_Turning toward her as she sat up straight, he watched as the redhead got to her feet and faced him._

"_First things first, we won't be able to do anything fun until you can walk," she said enthusiastically, a wide grin spreading across her face. "I'll step out to see if I can find a cane or something. Normally I'd tell you to stay here until I get back, but that's kind of why I'm going out. Heehee."_

_Smirking at her quip, Link waved to her as she bustled out the door. Without a way to move about on his own, the hero found himself stuck to the bed until either Marin or Tarin returned. With nothing else to do, he shrugged and laid himself out on the bed. The fact that he couldn't move his legs in his own dream still seemed rather odd, but it didn't really matter as long as he could spend time with Marin._

_Of course, he knew that it wouldn't amount to anything once he woke up from this dream. Would it even be possible to force himself to stay asleep? Eventually his real body and mind would be rested enough to the point where he physically would not be able to rest any longer. Doing the opposite was relatively simple when he thought about it, and he cursed the fact that it had to be this way. Even if he could find a way to sleep more often, there was no guarantee that he would get to experience another lucid dream, nor that he would even dream of Marin on each occasion._

_But that was reality. This was naught but a dream, both literally and figuratively. There were no loopholes or exploitations of life that he knew of; all that Link could do now was learn to accept what fate had brought him and cope with it._

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

"Good morning."

Link yawned and rubbed his eyes as he awoke to the sound of Malon's voice. The way she greeted was strangely similar to how Marin would do so, almost as if she were singing the words rather than speaking them.

"Or, rather, I should say good evening now," the farmgirl chortled as he opened his deep blue eyes to look at her.

Glancing around, it was clear to see that the sun had set only a short time ago, as the sky outside the window was painted in a myriad of reds and oranges. It took a moment for him to notice, but Link realized that he was back in the straw-mattress bed he had woken up in before. Assuming that one of them must have moved him when they found him sleeping in what must have been an awkward position on the windowsill, he didn't bother to ask what had happened.

"Sorry," he said a bit hoarsely, earning a confused look from Malon. "You told me to take it easy, and then I ended up trying to walk and passed out. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought."

Malon's expression lasted a bit longer, but quickly morphed into a warm smile as she waved off his apology. "Oh, don't worry about it. I kind of figured you'd try to move around; you don't really seem like the type to just sit and wait things out. Are your legs feeling okay?"

The blond glanced down and wiggled his legs around a bit, gently swinging them over the side of the bed as he sat up. Interestingly enough, they didn't feel the same way as they did in his dream. Here, they simply felt tired, as if he'd been running around all day yesterday and was now suffering the consequences, but they had felt asleep in his dream. It was unlikely that there was any sort of correlation between the two, but it did seem strange, nonetheless.

"I should be alright," he said softly, placing his feet on the ground. "If I walk slowly, I should be able to be back to normal in a few days. I don't have anything with me, but I promise that I'll pay you and Talon back somehow before I leave."

"You're too eager to leave, kid," Talon's voice sounded from outside the room. A few moments later, the stocky man stepped in with a tray of food for the three of them. "If you go running off right after you start feelin' better, you might collapse again and be right back to square one."

"It's not that I'm trying to get away from here," Link defended, dropping his gaze a bit. "I-It's just that…I'd hate to impose any more than I already have. You're already doing so much for me, yet we just met each other earlier today, not to mention that I didn't exactly make the best first impression."

"Hogwash," Talon said, placing the tray down and grabbing a piece of bread for himself. "Listen here, Link, you're not imposin' on anybody here. Mal and I are all about hospitality here, so making sure you get back to yourself the proper, healthy way is just what we do. Just 'cause you're a little down on your luck now doesn't mean that we're goin' to add to your troubles by charging you and whatnot."

"That's gracious of you, but–"

""But" nothing! Look, if you really feel like you need to pay us back, then get your legs workin' again and you can help out around the ranch. Who knows, you're a fit, good-lookin' kid, so if you turn out to be a good worker, I'll let you marry Malon!"

"Dad!"

Talon guffawed loudly and rocked on his chair as Malon and Link glanced at one another and quickly looked away, their faces coloured a deep crimson. Apparently Talon wasn't the overprotective father type that Link had imagined him to be. Besides, even if Talon had been serious about offering Malon's hand, Link doubted he would accept. At this moment in time, finding love seemed like an impossible feat, one that he had already accomplished and would never experience again. To say that it was better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all seemed like the conceited words of someone who had never experienced the loss.

"Heh, lighten up, you two," Talon said as his laughter died down. "If you're too uptight about a little joke then you'll both be old before I am. Anyway, I've got a delivery to make early tomorrow morning, so I'm gonna go hit the sack early tonight. Can you get the horses in the stables tonight, Mal?"

"Y-Yeah, no problem," she said quietly, still feeling a bit embarrassed from her father's joke. With a simple nod to both of them, the moustached man stood from his chair and yawned as he made his way through the doorway.

Now that it was just he and Malon, Link wasn't quite sure how he should feel. When they had been alone together earlier in the day, he hadn't felt uncomfortable, as she had only been there to clean up the glass. Now they were alone again, but the atmosphere had a tense awkwardness about it, multiplied by the lingering thoughts of Talon's stupid joke.

"U-Um," Malon began, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the room, "if you'd like, I can introduce you to some of the horses… Only if you're feeling strong enough to walk down, though."

Despite her offer, the manner in which she had asked helped very little to clear the tension in the air, and Link found himself unsure of how to respond. Thinking that the best route would be to lighten the mood a bit, he forced a smile and scratched his head.

"Oh? Are you trying to pin some of your work on me?"

Whether it was because of the tension or that Malon was jumpier than he was expecting, Link was surprised when she waved her hands in a flustered manner.

"N-No! I-I wasn't trying to imply that at all!" she defended, her face turning slightly pink. "You just seemed like…a horse person was all, so I thought you might want to… If you don't want to, that's fine! I just–"

"I'll go."

The redhead sent him a confused look as he cut her off, her hands frozen in front of her before she slowly set them down. Without a word, she stood from her chair at a snail's pace and shyly offered a hand to help him up. For a moment, Link only stared at her outstretched palm, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him. Hadn't Marin helped him onto his feet in the exact same way when he first met her? He shook his head as if to rid his mind of those thoughts right now. Being depressed was only natural in his current situation, but this exact moment wasn't the proper time for him to feel that way. With all of his mental strength, Link carefully took Malon's hand and pulled himself up with her assistance.

It took some time to exit the house, especially while attempting to maneuver down the stairs without falling, but eventually Link was able to make his way out the front door with little reliance on Malon. Stepping onto the soft, grassy earth, Link followed Malon under an archway that led to the paddock he had seen from his window earlier.

While the sight he was met with wasn't particularly spectacular or breathtaking, Link felt intrigued by the number of horses within the fenced area. He had some experience with horses, but seeing so many in one place was new to him, and he didn't have a word to describe what sort of sensation he was feeling.

"Have you ever ridden a horse before?" Malon asked as she opened the gate leading into the corral.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, a few times in the past," he replied and slowly followed after her. "I doubt I'm in any condition to try it right now."

"Well, that was sort of a given," she chuckled, shutting the gate behind him. "I guess I was right when I said you liked horses?"

He shrugged in response, trying to count the number of horses they were keeping here, though he had to assume that there were none in the stables already. "You could say that, but it's really more like I'm indifferent. I've never really seen them as anything more than helpful animals."

"That sounds like most people's opinions," Malon mused, stroking one's mane as it trotted over to her. "I think people only think that way because they've never had to interact with horses. They're really smart, lovable creatures if you take the time to get to know them. Someday, I hope that I can show a lot of people just how wonderful they are. It isn't good to only think of horses as convenient tools for people to use, so I'll just have to fight to make sure that people can understand that."

"_I'll just have to do everything I can to fight for you."_

Link clutched at his head as Marin's words from the dream echoed in his head. Luckily, Malon was turned the other way, so she wouldn't think that he was in some sort of pain.

Why did that line have to surface just now? Was it because of how similar it sounded to what Malon was saying? It seemed rather odd to liken himself to a horse if he were comparing the different things that both redheads were fighting for. In any case, he had been trying to suppress his thoughts of Marin, and even having memories from his dreams reappear was too much. Taking a moment to calm himself down, Link forced his thoughts of Marin into the recesses of his mind and glanced back at Malon just as she was turning around to face him again.

"They like it when you sing to them," she said sweetly, patting the horse as it began to wander in the other direction.

"Sing?" Link inquired, hoping that this new conversation topic would take his mind off of Marin.

"Mhm," she hummed. "Well, they like it when I do, at least. Dad's never really been the singing type, so he always gets me to do it whenever they get restless."

"What about your mom?"

Malon didn't reply right away, and Link feared that he might have said something rather insensitive. While she didn't appear sad or unhappy in any way, the smile that was on her face sank into her regular expression. As he opened his mouth to apologize, he held his breath as the redhead took a deep breath and shut her eyes. Before he had the chance to do anything, a soothing melody began flowing out of her.

The tune floated on the air, as if wafting around and calming any tension in the atmosphere. While it was a simple melody and contained no words, the hero felt his body ease up, eradicating the feeling that he had done something wrong. It was strange that a tune so simplistic compared to the complex song Marin always sang could have such an impact on him.

It took a moment for him to realize that Malon had stopped singing, as the sound of her voice continued to echo in his head, but when he realized, he noticed the redhead giving him a soft smile.

"It's my mother's song," Malon said before Link could ask what it was. "She always used to sing it to me when I was a kid. Her dying wish was that I would sing it for her before she died. At the time, I was too young to understand what was happening, so I just held her hand while she lay in bed and sang to her. Dad cried beside me, and all the while I thought she was just sleepy. When I figured out what had happened, I was so upset, but I could never forget the way she shut her eyes with a smile on her face, and in a strange way it made me happy. Letting go was the only thing keeping me from moving forward with my life, so I made sure to let all of my emotions out one day so that I could move on with no regrets."

Her words struck him harder than any enemy attack had ever managed to. Even as a young child, Malon was able to grieve for her mother and move on quickly. What sort of resolve did it take for a child, no, a person of any sort to effectively come out of such a tragedy? He certainly didn't have the capacity to do so. Even if he vowed to steel himself from here on out, Link doubted that he would be able to simply move on from Marin just like that.

In the time it had taken for Malon to complete her song and for Link to fall into deep thought, a number of horses had already gathered in front of the redhead, nuzzling their faces against her to show their affection. She giggled and lightly stroked each one of them, her hands moving in strong but gentle movements.

Without warning, Link suddenly felt a rough tapping on his shoulder and then his head. Turning in the direction away from Malon, the blond realized that a reddish-brown horse was prodding him. As he took a step away from it, the horse exhaled and stepped toward him so it could continue.

"H-Hey, cut it out," Link said, using both hands to gently push the horse's nose away from him. Since it appeared undeterred by his actions, he began to use a bit more force, though it seemed that this only spurred the horse to return with an equal amount of force.

"Heehee, that's a first," Malon giggled, forcing Link to direct his attention to her instead of the horse. "Epona doesn't like to play with strangers, but she went over to you without even coming over to me first."

"This is supposed to be playing?" Link complained, now using almost all his strength to repel the horse. "W-What am I even supposed to do in this situation?"

Malon giggled again, amused by Link's failing attempts to push Epona away from himself. "Do? You don't have to do anything, Link. She's just playing, so let her do what she wants. If you're really lucky, she might even let you ride her, which is saying something since she only lets me get that far."

As animated as Malon might have been about this situation, Link simply wanted to be out of it. At this point, his hands were pretty much covered in horse saliva and mucus, though he very much hoped that there was none of the latter. Eventually his strength and stamina had reached their limit, and Epona was able to push him down with a simple shove. Feeling defeated, Link sprawled himself out on the ground and allowed the horse to smell his face to no end. It certainly wasn't a favourable situation, but he couldn't help smirking as Malon giggled by the other horses. Something about seeing her laugh after telling such a sad story made him feel warm, even if he did have an overly curious creature smelling and drooling on his face.

It took a while, but Malon made her way over to him after a while and was able to shoo Epona off to the side so she could help pull the hero to his feet. Once he was up, the redhead reached into her side pocket, retrieving a large handkerchief with which to wipe his face with.

"Sorry I didn't help you up sooner," she laughed girlishly. "Just the way you looked so helpless at the mercy of a cute horse like Epona made me want the moment to last longer. She's completely harmless, but the way you were acting made her seem like some kind of overbearing monster."

"You're exaggerating," he responded when she finished unnecessarily cleaning his face for him. "I was just a bit surprised by how strong she was. I had a feeling I might get knocked over, but I was really putting all of my strength into preventing her from doing so."

"Yeah, well, I don't know what it is, but she's always been quite a bit stronger and healthier than the other horses. It might be because she's a different breed, but she still shouldn't be _that_ much different from the others, considering she was raised here just like all the others. In any case, you should just be grateful that our prized horse likes you as a playmate!"

"I can hardly contain my excitement."

Malon smirked at him and suddenly grabbed onto his wrist, much to the hero's surprise and slight embarrassment. Pulling him toward the other horses while Epona followed suit, Link just watched as Malon lightly smacked them on the side and told them to head to the stables. The way they listened was almost as if they completely understood what she was saying, though it was likely that she and her father did this so often that it was a daily ritual that had engraved itself into the animals' minds.

"Anyway, we came out here to move the horses to the stable," she said, letting go of his wrist and quickly pulling herself up onto Epona's back. "I can round most of them up, but if you want to help, just hobble yourself over to the horses, give them a little smack on their side and tell them 'Home'."

Without waiting for so much as a nod of affirmation, Malon immediately took off and began rounding up the horses as if they were sheep or goats. Shaking his head, Link smiled and slowly headed toward a group of horses opposite of where Malon had just run over.

"Letting go, huh?" Link mumbled to himself, quoting some of Malon's earlier words. "Moving forward…with no regrets…"

It almost seemed an impossible feat to accomplish right now, but perhaps if he gave himself a bit of time…no, he would need quite a bit of time. Regardless, if he could have time to let go, perhaps even have an emotional day like Malon had allowed herself, then it would help him to move on. It wasn't sure to work, but the thought seemed a lot more pleasurable than moping about and trying to push his false memories of a nonexistent girl into the recesses of his brain. With that thought in mind, Link smiled as he approached the horses and gestured for them to return to the stables.

"Home."

* * *

It took me a while to actually write all of it, but I definitely got into the flow of writing when it got to the second half of this chapter. I'm not sure why exactly, though I'm guessing it's because the base work for the Malink got established. Either way, I'm just going to hope that I can keep with the flow of things as the story progresses and heads into one of the big plot points.

Thanks to **9tailsfox2 **and **MadSkillz **for reviewing!

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	4. Talk of the Past

Nice, I'm done all my exams and have a whole two weeks to do nothing! It definitely put me behind on my writing, but I'll try to get a couple chapters out before I start working full time. Can't really promise an exact update rate once May comes around, but hopefully it'll be something like one chapter every two weeks, though it seems more likely to be every three.

Oh, and before the chapter starts, I just want to clear something up, as it's come up with more than one person. The Wind Fish's dream was not Link's. All the stuff that happened in the Wind Fish's dream was the Wind Fish's, and Link's dreams now are his own subconscious recreations of Koholint. I'm not sure if it was a wording issue or simply a misunderstanding, but just know that it wasn't all Link's dream.

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Talk of the Past_

A week had gone by since Link first awoke at Lon Lon Ranch, and he was nearly back to his full strength. While he still found that his stamina was a bit paltry and his affinity for animals had lessened, the hero was more or less back on his feet and able to perform to the abilities of a regular person. If nothing else, his caretakers made no comment of his inability to perform daily tasks.

Though it had only been one week, Link had gotten into the habit of helping with the usual duties that Malon and Talon performed. Milking the cows, collecting cucco eggs, and tending to the basic needs of the animals were only a few of the tasks he had begun growing accustomed to. While he still planned on departing once he felt his debt had been repaid, Link enjoyed this short break from adventuring. Experiencing a settled life was more relaxing than he imagined it to be.

As he brushed the side of one of the cows, Link felt his face drop into a frown. He wasn't sure what was causing it, but ever since he had arrived here, his dreams seemed to act like a single, continuous dream: picking up where they had left off each time he woke into the real world. He had heard of recurring dreams before, but none of these were the same as the previous, as each time something would happen in one dream, the next would be affected. Of course, it was nothing to get worked up over or cause worry for, but it was making the idea of letting go of Marin incredibly difficult, especially since he was sure to see her each time he went to sleep.

Many times, Link had contemplated telling Marin about the real world. After all, if she was just a figment of his subconscious, then learning that shouldn't confuse her. Besides, even if something bad happened, it wouldn't matter, as he would continue to wake up in this world. It was likely that these dreams would eventually cease, and then it would no longer matter what he did or said to Marin now.

"Oh, here you are!"

Link turned towards the source of the voice, his train of thought broken by Malon's entrance.

"Here I am," he mirrored her. "Did you need me for something?"

"Not really," the redhead stated, sauntering her way over to where he was. "I just finished all of my tasks for the day and thought you might want a hand."

"Well, I was just grooming the cows," Link said, glancing around the barn before looking at her again, "but I'll be finished after this one here. Is it right for us to be finished working so quickly?"

Malon giggled a bit and petted the cow. "There's no harm in finishing early. You're a bigger help than you probably think, Link. Splitting up the work between three people is better than two, especially since Dad has to leave a lot to make his delivery trips."

"I see."

Link felt his gaze unconsciously drifting to the redhead beside him as he continued brushing the animal before him. Over the past week, Malon had grown much more comfortable around him, more so than he could say he felt around her. It wasn't that he found it awkward to be around Malon, but Link was unable to lower his guard as quickly as he would have liked to. Even after she and her father had already proven their kindness during his stay, the best he could do was remain somewhat stoic around them.

"Well, well, what are you two kiddos doin' alone in the barn?" Talon's voice teased from the entryway. "I know you're young and energetic, but this place isn't exactly the best to start gettin' cozy."

"Are you ever going to give that up?" Malon sighed as they turned to her father. "It seems like the two of us can't even be in the same room without you making some kind of silly remark."

"Silly remark? Ouch, that's gotta sting, Link."

"It's no trouble, really," Link answered flatly, having learned that the best way to deal with Talon's jokes was to brush them off.

As expected, the moustached man sighed and shook his head, having lost the mood for having fun. "One day you kids are gonna regret being so serious. Sprouts like you are supposed to be enjoyin' your youth."

"Did you want something, Dad?" Malon asked, basically ignoring everything he had just said.

"Oh, that's right!" the bald man perked up, smiling widely under his moustache. "Since the work is all done and it's only about noon, I thought it might be a good idea if you showed Link around, gave him a tour of the sights."

"The sights?" Link asked, glancing out one of the windows. From what he had seen, there didn't seem to be much of anything around this ranch. Off in the distance there was a mountain and a castle of some sort, but other than those, they didn't seem to be near anything.

"Are you sure that's all right?" Malon asked, also glancing out the window. "We wouldn't have enough time to go to more than one place, and even then we wouldn't be back until nightfall. Are you okay with handling the animals on your own?"

Talon snorted and crossed his arms. "Heh, Mal, I've been wrasslin' with animals since before you were born. I doubt any of these rascals will give me much trouble. Why don't you go ahead and take Epona. You and Link can take the cart and have a picnic someplace or other."

While he hadn't been direct about it, the tone of his voice and smirk on Talon's face were enough to imply that he wanted them to treat it romantically. Link and Malon avoided looking at each other as their faces reddened, though they were unable to get angry at Talon since he did not directly say what he had meant.

Having said what he came there to say, Talon chummily headed off, whistling the same tune that Malon liked singing to the horses. Given that they had been put in similar situations all week, the tension in the barn was quick to die down, and Malon quickly regained her composure.

"Well, he was being dumb about it, but I wouldn't mind showing you around Hyrule. You've never been here before, right?"

"Hard to say," Link chuckled lightly, completing his brushing of the cow. "There are actually a few places called Hyrule on the other side of the ocean. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've been to this one in particular, though."

"Huh, that's kind of weird," Malon mused. "In any case, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to bring some food along if we're headed off somewhere. Do you have any preferences?"

"No, anything's fine. Your cooking tastes great, no matter what you make."

The redhead blushed, making Link feel a bit odd about what he had just said. It wasn't meant as something to make her feel embarrassed; he genuinely liked the food she made. It was reminiscent of Marin's cooking, the main differences being the style of cooking food on a tropical island versus on a farm.

"O-Okay, I'll just whip something together, then," she said shakily before quickly heading off towards the house.

Watching her head off, Link shook his head once she was out of sight. Why did he have to compare all the things Malon did to the things that Marin did? He knew both of them well enough at this point to see just how different they were from each other, even if they looked a bit similar.

He had been doing his best to make peace with Marin's existence, or rather her lack thereof, but it always seemed that something about her would spring to mind whenever he would go a certain period of time without thinking of her. The continuous dream was challenging enough to deal with, but being unable to control his own thoughts was brutal. How was he supposed to forget about her when he knew he truly did not want to? Was this some sort of punishment? All his life he had fought for good, but perhaps something had been flawed along the way.

Picking up the pail and other supplies he had been using, Link shuffled his way out of the barn, placing the supplies by a water pump that he would use to clean them out later. Wiping his boots off on the doormat, he entered the house.

"Oh, Link," Malon called to him from the kitchen. "I've got my hands a bit full here. After you wash up, can you go get Epona and the cart ready? You know how to do that, right?"

"Sort of," he answered back and began making his way up the stairs. "I can get Talon to show me if I need help."

"Okay, thanks!"

With that, the blond continued heading up the stairs, making his way to where the bath was. He already knew that Malon would have heated one for him, so it came as no surprise when he opened the door to find steam floating about inside. Shutting the door behind him and stripping off the tattered clothes he'd borrowed from Talon, Link wasted no time in settling himself into the hot water.

After quickly washing his body, the hero changed his clothes and made his way to the paddock, where Talon was sitting under a tree as he watched the horses graze and trot around. Upon noticing Link's appearance, the stocky man awkwardly stood up and made his way over to him.

"So, you two decided where you're gonna head off to?" Talon inquired.

"Not sure," Link said while shrugging. "It's not like I have any real say; I've never been here before."

"Hahaha, very true, very true," Talon guffawed, throwing his head back as he did so. "But you know, this could be a very good opportunity for you."

Link sighed lightly, but a thought other than brushing it off crossed his mind. "Old man, can I ask you something?"

"Hmph, not sure how I feel about this "old man" business, but shoot."

Beginning to walk over to the stables where the cart was stored, Link made sure not to make eye contact with Talon. "Well, I've been wondering… You seem to joke around a lot when it comes to Malon and me, but are you really trying to push us together like that?"

There was a silence that ensued between them, and Link cautiously cast a look at Talon's face. At first, the man seemed ready to make some kind of joke, probably along the lines of "Oh, are you interested?" but the smirk was slowly evaporating into a more serious look. He actually looked like a concerned father at this point.

"Let me tell you something, Link," Talon started, clearing his throat. "I've been living on this ranch since the day I was born. My family's been taking care of this place for generations now, and we've always been happy doing so. When Mal was born, it was probably the happiest day of my life…no, it was most definitely the happiest day of my life.

"It was only the three of us, but Mal, my wife, and I loved every second of it. Mal was becoming the perfect little farm girl, even scolding me when I got lazy or dozed off in the middle of work. We were laughing and smiling every day and it seemed like nothing could go wrong. Of course, that all ended when my wife got sick.

"It never struck me before, how vulnerable we are to the world around us. Because I'd grown up with the animals, I had always been a bit stronger than most folks. Only the strongest of diseases could get to me, so I never even thought about what it'd be like for someone who hadn't grown up here. 'Course, my wife wasn't quite so durable.

"After she died, I got to thinking, what would happen to Mal if I someday got sick? Sure, she and I were born and raised here, but my health would probably take a hit as I got older. Could I leave her, my only daughter, alone in this world like that? She's twenty now, but that's still too young to leave her all by herself, especially since she's spent her whole life with me. I'm not trying to say that it has to be you, but it would put me at ease if she had someone in case things take a turn for the worst."

Link was silent as they began attaching Epona to the smaller of two carts. How was he meant to respond to such a story? He had never imagined that Talon's teasing held a much deeper intrinsic meaning. Thinking on it now, he even began to feel slightly guilty for always brushing the man's jokes off.

"Eh, don't get yourself all down about it, though," Talon suddenly said, his voice and face as animated as usual. "As far as you're concerned, I'm not dyin' anytime soon, you hear? 'Til then, you better make sure you're worthy o' being my Malon's!"

Cracking a small smile, Link shook his head and patted the cart gently. "Whatever you say, old man."

Talon chuckled, making sure his side of the cart was correctly hooked on. "About all that, though; you really do seem like her type, y'know. It'd be a shame if she couldn't meet another fella as compatible with her."

Compatible? From his perspective, Link thought that his relationship with Malon was still more like that of an acquaintance than anything else. What exactly gave Talon the idea that they were right for each other, or was he trying to mess with him again? Judging by the look on the bald man's face, he was being serious this time around.

"Maybe so, but I'm afraid it won't work out," Link said, turning his gaze to the rolling green hills in the distance. "Don't get me wrong, I like Malon, but not that way. I think the only reason I might have ever thought of her as anything more is because of your teasing and because…she reminds me of someone I used to know…someone I used to care about very much…"

"I see," Talon said quietly, sounding almost fatherly as he did so. "That's a darn shame, but if it can't be helped, then it can't be helped. Still, don't think that it'll make me stop teasin' you!"

Turning back towards Talon, Link grinned. "I think I'd be more concerned if you stopped."

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

The cart bumped along the endless green pastures, bouncing as the wooden wheels rolled over small pebbles or bumps along the way. There weren't many worn paths around, it seemed, so anyone who might be travelling by cart simply had to deal with the bumps along the natural landscape. Not that Link minded, as this was much more preferable than walking to wherever they were headed.

It was a perfect day to spend outdoors, and Talon's suggestion for a picnic was actually rather appropriate, even if his ulterior motives were not. Link took a deep breath as he gazed up at the blue skies overhead, noting the few wispy clouds that thinned around the edges. The air was comfortably warm, cool enough that he could keep his sleeves down.

Beside him, Malon handled the cart like she had done this hundreds of times, which was probably the case. Allowing Epona to move at a slow gallop, there was no worry of tiring the horse out and they appeared to be heading toward their destination at a relatively quick pace, though Link still was unaware of where they were going.

"You're not afraid of water, are you?" Malon asked as they bumped along.

Link gave her a confused look before his lips curled up into a sarcastic smirk. "Well, considering I was alone out on the open ocean in a dinghy, I wouldn't say I am."

Malon's cheeks turned a bit pink, but she chuckled. "Oh, that's right. Heehee, I'm not sure how I forgot that, but you might've been scared since you almost drowned out there, right?"

"Fair enough, but I'm okay with water," he said. As thoughts of why he had almost drowned in the ocean began creeping into the forefront of his memory, Link quickly steered the conversation another way, "Are we going somewhere with a lot of water?"

"Yeah," the redhead answered simply, pulling on the reins a bit as they began descending a hill. "I was thinking about where I could show you first and decided that Lake Hylia would be a nice place to start. There's a lot to see around there too, so it won't be hard to spend an entire afternoon there."

"Mm," Link hummed, unsure completely how to respond since he had no idea what the area was like. He wouldn't have had many objections to anywhere she decided, so it seemed like the most basic way to answer.

It was a little under an hour when they passed under the archway in the canyon entrance. Slowing their pace as the lake came into view, Link gazed upon the round lake. He couldn't help noticing how open it seemed despite being completely surrounded by high cliff walls. Other than a single building, a few pillars in the water, a very small patch of farmland, and the bridges connecting some small islands, everything surrounding the lake seemed completely governed by nature.

Stopping the cart by the water's edge, Malon and Link hopped out of the cart to unhook Epona. Once freed, the powerful steed dipped her face into the lake water before grazing on the grass.

"I hope you're hungry," Malon said as she grabbed the basket off of the cart. "I accidentally made more than I was planning to."

"Don't worry about it," Link replied as he laid out the picnic blanket. "I like your food, so it's not like I'll be forcing myself to eat it or anything."

Only giving him a slightly bashful smile in return, Malon slipped off her shoes and sat down on the blanket. Preferring to keep his boots on, Link simply sat with his feet resting on the grass. In a comfortable silence, the two wordlessly began eating, gazing around at the sparkling waters and greenery.

"Hey," Malon said after a while, catching Link's attention, "if you don't mind my asking, what kind of places have you been to, Link? You're an adventurer, so I bet you have a whole bunch of stories to tell."

Swallowing the piece of sandwich that was in his mouth, Link stroked his chin as he thought back on all the things he had done. "Hmm, I don't really know where to start…"

Before he knew it, he had begun retelling some of his most exciting stories, trying his best to downplay some of the more heroic parts so as not to seem the least bit narcissistic. Malon of course, listened with wide eyes and comments of amazement, fully believing everything that he said. He was actually rather surprised at the ease with which she accepted some of the more extraordinary details of his tales. In truth, he had expected her to suspect him of lying or exaggerating, especially for some of the magic-involving parts, but she never once raised an eyebrow to anything he told her.

"And that's pretty much the last thing that happened before Talon found me in the desert," he said, sighing as the feelings of nostalgia washed over him. "I never really thought about it before, but I've done a lot of stuff…"

"I'll say," Malon giggled, shifting her weight so she could lean back on her arms. "I thought that travelling around Hyrule was a lot, but you've spent at least half your life doing all kinds of crazy things. Still, as amazing as you made it all sound, I don't think that's the kind of lifestyle for a simple girl like me."

Blinking, Link turned to look at the water, watching as the sunlight reflected off the wavy surface. "I think I'd be more surprised if someone _did_ want to live out that kind of lifestyle. When I tell it like I did just now, it sounds like some kind of heroic fairytale, but honestly it's just exhausting. I mean, before coming here, I was ready to settle down on Ko–"

The words caught themselves in his throat, preventing him from finishing his sentence. He hardly even noticed as Malon leaned forward to see if he was all right. His face was frozen, but it was because he did not want to show the emotion that threatened to burst from him if he dwelled on that thought for too long.

He wanted to let go of the past, the dream, everything that was now causing him anguish. He wanted to treat those false months as the single night that they had been, leaving them behind as nothing more than an odd dream. After all, there was no point in remembering anymore: not about Koholint, not about the Wind Fish, and certainly not about Marin.

Link could feel his vision begin to mist, and he clenched his hands tightly, hoping to distract his head with the pain of his nails digging into his palm. He couldn't keep dwelling on this; he had to prevent himself from being hurt by it anymore. Was it possible? Whether it was or not, Link knew that he could not continue on like this.

"Link?" Malon said, finally managing to capture his attention. Blinking back his tears, he flicked his eyes in her direction, feeling a pang of guilt at the concerned look on her face.

"S-Sorry," he apologized, "I lost myself for a moment just then."

She shook her head and gently took his hand in both of hers, causing him to look down in surprise. "No, don't apologize. I'm sure…it must have been hard… You told me before that you had to leave her; I can't even imagine what that must have been like, especially after all you've been through."

As if by some kind of healing spell, her words seemed to pass through her soft hands and flow up into him, calming his wounded soul. Link could feel his body relax, though it would be false to say that he was feeling completely better.

"Link, if…if there's any way that I can help you, don't hesitate to ask. I'm not trying to overstep my boundaries or invade on your private matters, but I want you to know that I'll be here if you ever need anything."

Looking up from their hands to Malon's face, Link could see the serious, caring soul through her deep blue eyes. She had the same spirit as Marin, and yet at the same time the two were nothing alike. Marin had taught him the meaning of love, and now Malon was doing her best to heal the pain of losing that love. For a moment, a very brief moment, Link thought back on what Talon had told him earlier, and the possibility of the idea flashed momentarily in his mind.

After staring at each other for a while, Malon's pale cheeks suddenly reddened and she quickly removed her hands from Link's in a flustered manner. Tensely placing them in her lap, she stared at the ground, seemingly too embarrassed to look the hero in the eye.

"O-Oh, p-please don't misinterpret what I said," she stammered. "I-I was only trying to let you know that…that you don't have to do everything alone. If you don't want my help, that's p-perfectly fine too; I just–"

She was cut off by Link firmly placing his hand on her head. Lightly ruffling her hair, he smiled softly as she flicked her eyes up at him.

"Thanks, Malon," he said quietly, continuing to tousle her hair. "You may be a little awkward when it comes to getting your point across, but your heart's in the right place. It made me feel a lot better, actually; you're a good kid."

Giving him an angry smirk, she swatted the hero's hand away and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Hmph, I'm not a kid, and you can't be that much older than me! If anything, I'm older than you are!"

Grinning back at her, Link chuckled. "Oh? I'm twenty-one, so that makes you a kid to me."

"Well…I'm twenty-two!"

"Your dad said you were twenty."

"H-He just forgot because he's getting old."

"I think you're forgetting because you're a dumb redhead."

"It's dumb blond!"

"See? You've even forgotten the colour of your own hair."

"Rrgh, you're an annoying old man, aren't you?"

"You shouldn't speak so disrespectfully to your elders."

Laughing and making playful jabs at one another, the two quickly forgot their troubles, allowing the mirthful atmosphere to ease their souls. Spending a great deal of their time simply talking, they did not realize how long they had been at the lake until the sky was painted with oranges of the sunset. Packing up the blanket and empty basket, they hastily attached the cart back to Epona and made their leave of Lake Hylia. By the time they were back, the stars had already blanketed the moonlit sky.

"Well, getting back a little late, I see," Talon jeered as they passed through the Lon Lon Ranch entrance. "Lost track of time?"

"I said we'd be back after nightfall," Malon stated, though her voice was still a bit bubbly from before.

"Heh, whatever it was you kids were doing, I think I'd rather not hear about it," he chuckled, waddling inside the house as they went to put away the cart and Epona.

Once they were back inside, Link headed upstairs to change into his nightclothes. Despite growing accustomed to sleeping in his daytime clothes, he had no say in the matter, as he was now sleeping in a bed each night and could not be so rude as to sleep in the clothes he had been working in all day. Even if Talon's clothes were a bit too wide and sometimes too short for him, Link graciously accepted the generous offer. Only able to find his sleeping shorts, the blond carefully glanced around the room to scout out the shirt.

"Eep!" someone squeaked from the door. Quickly turning around, Link spotted Malon with one hand over her eyes and the other holding some kind of large grey cloth. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were changing…"

"Oh, uh, don't worry about it," Link answered awkwardly, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Did you need something?"

Keeping her eyes covered, Malon held up the grey thing. "I forgot that I washed this today and was bringing it up to you."

Cocking his head to the side, Link then realized that she was holding his sleeping shirt. Chuckling breathily, he stepped over to her and took it.

"Thanks," he said coolly. "You know, you don't have to get embarrassed about me without a shirt on. If it were my pants, then that would be a different story, but this is nothing to be nervous about."

She didn't react at first, but after a moment or two, he noticed Malon's fingers spread apart as she peeked at his shirtless torso. Thankfully, she didn't seem put off by his words, as he realized afterward that it may have sounded like he was egging her on, possibly even harassing her. As she slowly lowered her hand, he smirked and moved the shirt around to find the bottom hole.

"Are your arms okay?" she asked, causing him to look at her in surprise before he could slip the shirt on. "You always wear long sleeves, so I've never noticed those scars on your upper arms before."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Link asked as he tried to bend in a way that would allow him to see his triceps.

"They're right here," she said, moving to poke the spot on his triceps where the scars were. "Here, I'll grab you a mirror."

Moving over to the bedside table, Malon pulled out the drawer and retrieved a hand mirror. Handing it to Link, the hero crossed his arm in front of him and held the mirror in his other hand to look at the reflection. Just as Malon had said, some odd scars were on his arm, and after switching arms, he noticed that there seemed to be more on his left side than his right.

"Now that I look at them," Malon said, examining them more closely. "They don't really look like scars at all. They're like…some kind of markings I can't understand. Have you ever seen a language like that?"

Trying to mentally flip the image on the mirror to see if he recognized the markings, Link slowly shook his head. "…No… It's weird, though… They seem familiar, but I can't read them and I don't think I've seen these kinds of characters anywhere before."

The longer he examined them, the more Link grew confused by their sudden appearance. Given their location on his body, it seemed natural that he would not have noticed them before, but how had they gotten there? He could not recall any incident that could have possibly left such markings on his arms. Was it possible that these were not actual characters, and that something had happened while he was in the desert that led to these markings that resemble a language being marked on his arms? It was incredibly improbable, but Link had no other explanation for it.

"Well, as long as they aren't causing you any pain, I suppose it doesn't really matter what they are," Malon said after a while, realizing that they weren't going to figure anything out just by staring at them. "Anyway, it's getting late, so I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Link."

"Yeah, 'night," he responded automatically, keeping his eyes fixated on the mirror image. Even after he heard the door shut behind Malon, Link continued examining the strange marks, growing more curious by the moment as he stared at them.

"Asymmetrical markings," he said to himself, counting the greater number of markings on his left arm compared to his right, "but the ones that line up are the same…"

Was there some reason for this symmetrical asymmetry? Perhaps the cause of whatever put them there did not have the time to fully mark both sides of his arms before Talon found him. It was certainly a possibility, but what could this mean? Was he being hunted? Maybe he was simply being watched, though that did not make him feel any more at ease. Whatever the case, he knew that pondering would only give him a headache, so with one last glance at each arm Link sighed and slipped the shirt on. Putting the mirror back in the drawer, he quickly went around the room and put out the candles before crawling into bed.

If nothing else, he could always ask Marin about it…

* * *

Yikes, took me longer to actually finish writing it than I had hoped, but at least it's done now, right? I think this one was a bit better than the previous chapters, so hopefully that makes up for the longish wait (unless you didn't like this one…).

I have to admit, I haven't written a budding romance in a while, so I'm feeling a bit rusty at the moment, especially since my other stories at the moment aren't really what I'd call "budding" romances. I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but then it's a little hard to judge my own work. If anything seems to be going along too quickly, don't hesitate to let me know!

Thanks to **9tailsfox2, MadSkillz, **and **linkkirby8692** for reviewing! **linkkirby**, to answer your question (sorry for not doing it through PM, but it was a very short question), this story doesn't follow any sort of timeline, so the events of OoT never happened (at least not with this Link). Think of it sort of like an AU.

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	5. Stop, Think, Decide

Well, I tried and failed to have a slightly faster update rate on my time off. Not sure what exactly prevented me from getting it posted quicker, but that's all in the past now. Oh well, it's posted now :P

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Stop, Think, Decide_

_The touch of sand beneath his feet. The cries of seagulls squawking in the skies. The sound of waves surging gently up the beach. Yes, there was no question that he was on the shores of Koholint right now._

_Link breathed in deeply, capturing the salty scent of the ocean that stretched out before him. The moonlit shores calmed his senses, giving him excellent conditions to think by himself under. Since awakening into the real world, he'd been having trouble determining when he was dreaming and when he was awake. Were dreams meant to seem so realistic? Just like anyone else, he had awoken from nightmares in the past, heart pounding as he tried to comprehend just how realistic it had been. This, however, was like living another life, one in which Koholint was the world and the land of Hyrule was the dream._

_Of course, he already knew that that was not the case._

"_Watching the waves?"_

_Link jumped in surprise, shooting a glance to his left to see that Marin had snuck up on him. While she wore an amused expression from his reaction, it seemed that scaring him had not been her intention._

"_Y-Yeah," he answered, regaining his composure. "I thought I might be able to spot some landmasses off in the distance, but I guess we're too isolated for that."_

"_Mm," Malon hummed, turning her gaze out to the horizon. "In a way, that's all the more reason to leave this place. I know I've said it before, but if the chance ever arises, I'm going to leave this island and start my life somewhere else."_

_Link felt guilty that he had forgotten about her dream to leave Koholint Island. His efforts to forget about Marin had not been entirely unsuccessful, but having her here to remind him of every detail about her sent him back to square one, possibly even further since he was being freshly reminded. Sighing, he shut his eyes, wondering if it would even be possible to forget._

"_Link? Are you okay?" the redhead asked, stepping closer to him. Reopening his eyes, he could see that she was only inches away from him._

"_Oh, yeah, I'm fine," he reassured weakly. "I was just thinking about some stuff."_

_If he told Marin about the real world, would it help him on the road to forgetting her? After all, if he was able to establish with her that this was all a dream of his, then it might help his own psyche come to terms with it. The only problem would be actually telling Marin that she was part of some fake world. It wasn't exactly a light conversation topic to bring up, and Link was fairly certain that Marin wouldn't take too kindly to it if he simply told her that he was living at some other woman's home in the real world._

"_Um, Marin," he began slowly, trying to find the best way to approach the subject. "I've…been wondering something."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Well…this might sound like a weird question, but…did I ever awaken the Wind Fish?"_

_Understandably taken aback by the question, Marin took a half step backwards and tilted her head a bit. For a while, she simply stood there with a funny look on her face, though it seemed that she was waiting for Link to add something else. Since there was nothing else for him to say in the moment, Link could do nothing but wait until she responded._

"_I-I'm not sure how you could have forgotten, but yes, you did," she said in an oddly cautious tone. "I thought you might have noticed the giant egg missing from the top of the mountain."_

_Just as he suspected, this wasn't some alternate setting he'd subconsciously coined, but rather a false replica of what this place would be like if it had been a real location. "Oh, that's right. Heh, I didn't really think to check on that. Sorry, I've got another question: what happened after I defeated the nightmares, or do you know?"_

_Again, Marin gave him a funny look and tilted her head, though the hero did not have to wait as long for her response this time around. "It's kind of hard to describe… The world just started shaking, like there was an earthquake, so I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them back up, I was suddenly in some strange place where you were watching the island disappear. I…I don't like to remember, but we thought that that was the end, and that I was going to disappear with the island while you returned to your own world. I was terrified, but before I knew it I was sitting back at home again, nursing you back to health while you slept in my bed for at least two days straight. No one except for me remembers the island disappearing, so I've just sort of been pretending it was all a strange dream."_

_A strange dream indeed, made even stranger by the fact that she was already part of his dream right now._

"_What's with all the questions all of a sudden?" she chuckled, gently holding his arm as she stepped towards him._

_Trying to feel calmed by her soothing tone, Link relaxed a bit. "I've just been thinking… I mean, I wasn't sure if you really understood what it meant for me to return to my own world. Hell, the fact that I'm here now kind of gave me the impression that I don't fully understand it myself."_

"_Heehee, well, to be honest, I don't really get it," Marin giggled, turning to face the ocean with him, "but as long as you're here with me, I'm fine with being a bit confused. It's not like I expected that saving a mysterious castaway was going to be the most straightforward experience."_

_The hero smirked at what she said, but quickly felt his expression sink into a frown. As long as he was here with her… There was nothing hidden within that statement, and yet Link could only feel uneasy thinking about it. After all, he _wasn't_ actually here with her at all. This idea that she was feeling comforted by his presence was simply the manifestation of his subconscious. If only Malon had provided him with some kind of advice for a situation like this. Of course, that would be asking for the impossible._

"_Hey," Link said after their brief moment of silence. "What would you do if I actually had returned to my world?"_

_Marin turned to look at him, the breeze blowing her red locks behind her. "If you returned… I don't really know. Obviously, I would be upset, so it would probably take some time, but I suppose I would have to go back to how I was living before I met you."_

_That seemed reasonable enough, though Link was hoping that he would somehow be able to sneak in the fact that he _had_ returned to his own world. Even if she wasn't real, it was hard trying to tell someone that they were nothing more than a fake, especially since he had such strong feelings for that person._

"_What about you?" Marin turned the question back on him. "What would you do if you had returned back to your world?"_

"_Probably float around on the ocean for days, wash up on the shores of a desert, try to cross it and almost wind up dead before getting rescued by some rancher who just happened to be doing business with the all-female desert community. Then I might start working on his ranch to repay the kindness that he and his daughter, who looks eerily similar to you, showed by looking out for me."_

"…_Y-You're awfully specific," she snickered, lightly pinching him on the arm. "It's like you've done it before."_

"_I doubt you'd believe me if I said I had."_

"_No, I would not. But it makes for a funny bedtime story."_

_Well, he wasn't sure he could say that that settled it, but Link took her reaction as a sign that telling her would not make much of a difference. Now that he thought about it, there was nothing to gain by telling her of the real world, anyway. He wasn't exactly looking to upset her, and if this dream continued to, well, continue, then he wasn't sure that confusing or upsetting her would be the best course of action. Doing so wasn't going to help him forget about her – if anything, it would only make him think about her more._

"_Is everything all right, Link?" Marin asked, forcing him to turn his gaze toward her. "You seem…a little different somehow. I'm not really sure how to explain it, but it's like you're…confused."_

_Link said nothing, continuing to stare into her mocha-coloured eyes. With each passing second, he watched as the redhead's facial expressions hardened, showing how concerned she was for his wellbeing. Unable to face her in such a state, he turned his gaze back out to the ocean and sighed._

"_It's nothing to get worked up over…" the hero said quietly. "I guess you could say that I've…been having weird dreams lately. About the world I came from."_

"_Oh?"_

_Link hesitated for a moment, but slowly tried to form the words he wanted to say. "I don't think you'll be able to understand if I try explaining it to you. Whenever I'm in that world, though, I feel like I'm really alive, like I'm actually there, and that the fantasy world is this one where I'm here with you. Trying to distinguish the line between which world is real is…well, it's not really like anything I can describe in words. The only thing that's happened is more headaches than I've ever had to handle."_

_While it wasn't entirely true, Link figured that this would be the only way to explain the situation to Marin. From a relative point of view, entering the real world _was_ nothing more than a dream; after all, he had discovered that he – or rather, his consciousness – could only be in one world at a time, leaving his body asleep in the other. Certainly, if he had no comprehension of this phenomenon, it would only make sense that Marin would not as well._

"_Huh, I suppose dreams can be strange in that way," Marin said with a shrug. "But then, they're only dreams. Even if they turned out to be something more, as long as the headaches aren't causing you too much pain, I suppose it doesn't really matter what they are."_

"Well, as long as they aren't causing you any pain, I suppose it doesn't matter what they are."

_Without thinking, Link automatically moved to rub his left arm where the markings were. Was it merely coincidence that Marin and Malon constantly seemed to say the same sorts of things? No matter what sort of situation, Link felt as though he was always connecting the two of them together. Normally, he would consider such a situation to be merely an odd chain of coincidences, but under his specific circumstances, these chance quotes only made him associate Malon with Marin, thereby forcing him to think about her whenever he saw the farmgirl._

"_Anyway, it's getting late," Marin yawned and loosened her grip on Link's arm. "Are you going to stay out here?"_

"_Yeah, I'm not feeling all that tired," he said, turning as she took a few steps back._

"_Okay, don't stay out too long."_

_With a simple wave, Link watched Marin until she was completely out of sight from the beach area. Turning back around and slowly walking toward a palm tree, the hero took a seat at its base as he continued to watch the waves._

_How long could he continue to keep up this charade? What was the purpose of keeping it up here, anyway? He knew this was a dream, and he knew that he would probably be waking up in the other world sometime soon. Was there something keeping him connected to this place on a psychological level? He cared about Marin a great deal but had never dreamt about her once before being sent to the real world._

_Perhaps it had something to do with those markings. While he had originally intended to mention them to Marin, her somewhat clueless nature made Link reconsider his decision. Unlike Malon, who had stayed calm in the situation, Marin was more likely to panic upon seeing the marks, and would probably try to do something about them, even though their presence had no effect of any sort._

_Realizing he didn't have any sort of mirror to look at them again, Link rolled up his sleeves and began stretching his arms in front of him, twisting in awkward positions in a failing attempt to look at them. Only able to see the uppermost marks, the hero wound up and, with all his might, swung his left arm across his chest, accidentally punching the tree trunk as the inertia carried his fist around. Cursing in pain, he shook his hand a couple of times and glanced upwards, only to regret it when…_

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

_Clunk!_

"Ooh, ow, ow, ow!" a girl's voice sounded above him.

Grasping at his sore forehead, Link slowly opened his eyes, taking a few moments to focus. The brightness and slight daze from conking his forehead made his head spin, but he was soon able to get a good look at his surroundings.

"What's the big idea, Link? Falling asleep when I leave you for ten minutes and then headbutting me when you wake up?"

Sitting up slowly this time, Link looked to see Malon holding her hand to her forehead and groaning in pain. Trying to piece together what happened, it seemed that the coconut that fell from the palm tree in his dream was actually his body jerking upwards in this world while Malon was…leaning right over top of his face?

"Sorry," he grunted, continuing to rub his own forehead. "Why were you so close to my face, though?"

Malon's face reddened, though Link wasn't entirely sure whether she was blushing or simply angry, as her expression still showed that she was annoyed from what just occurred.

"Well, like I said, I only left you for about ten minutes while I was making the deliveries and I came back to see you snoozing away. I thought it'd be funny to stick cucco feathers in your hair or something, so I was leaning over you when you shot up all of a sudden and smashed my head!"

"So, to put it simply, your failed prank is to blame for both of our misfortunes…"

Playfully bopping him on the head, though fortunately not where he had hit his, Malon gave him a mean smirk and beckoned him to follow after her. "Hey, I brought you along with me today, so the least you can do is let me have some fun."

Shaking his head but allowing a smile to cross his lips, Link stood up and brushed off the hay from his clothes.

It was early afternoon now, and the two of them were wandering around Kakariko Village. At Talon's somewhat forcible request, Malon had agreed to take Link on a delivery trip, figuring it would also be good to acquaint him with one of the two local towns. Since there was no need to follow Malon around door-to-door while she made all the deliveries, Link had dozed off on a random haystack, which of course led to the incident that had given them matching, swollen foreheads. Luckily for Link, Malon wasn't the type to get very angry over things, but he knew that she was probably going to tease him for the rest of the day.

"So, do you know, like, everyone who lives here?" Link asked as Malon said hello to what had to have been the fifteenth person they passed by.

"Mm, not really," she mused, tapping her chin in thought. "It's more that everyone recognizes Dad and me because we're here at least once a week. I do know some of them, though, like Anju the cucco tender."

"Let me guess, you asked her to give you some feathers to mess up my hair with."

"Nope. I'd have to get them myself."

"Is she really stingy about their feathers or something?"

"No, no, she just can't touch them. She's allergic to cuccos."

"…Maybe she should have thought out her career path a little better…"

Despite Link's deadpan, Malon laughed at his dry humour and ran ahead a little bit when she spotted something in one of the shop's windows. Keeping his pace, Link followed behind as the redhead showed him around town, stopping every now and then to do a bit of window-shopping.

The two of them spent a good portion of their afternoon simply wandering around and checking things out. The village itself wasn't very large, but Malon seemed to have quite a few things to say about each stop they made, whether it was about the people that lived there, some odd fact about the building, or just a story that may or may not have had anything to do with the actual location they had stopped in front of. Regardless of that, Link found her enthusiasm charming, and it significantly redirected his attention away from Marin.

When the sun had moved down quite a bit, Malon led Link back out of Kakariko Village, practically dragging him by the collar as he whined about wanting to see Death Mountain. After all, how could he truly call himself an adventurer if he didn't explore a place known as Death Mountain?

"Mal, I know you said you were gonna show him around, but even I'm surprised by how long you kids were gone for," Talon jeered from the stables upon their return.

"Well, we would've been back sooner if Link wasn't so insistent on seeing Death Mountain."

"Hey, you can't even blame me for that; we didn't get to see it!"

"I said we could go another day!"

"Whoa, now, I better get out o' this lover's quarrel quickly!"

This had become almost a daily routine for Link and the ranchers, and he could honestly say that he enjoyed all of it. There never seemed to be a dull moment when these two were around. Truthfully, he had nearly forgotten about his intentions to leave after repaying his debt, partly because the days had passed so quickly that he could not recall how long he'd been there but also because he actually wanted to stay. Malon and Talon seemed more than happy to have his company, and for only the second time in his life, Link felt like he belonged somewhere as a part of the family. Perhaps saying he was a part of their family was a little too much, but nonetheless, he had become more than just a guest in their home.

"If you kids are done arguin'," Talon said once the playful bickering had died down a bit, "I need you to do some repairs on the corral fences. Some o' the wood's gotten too rotten to be of any use, so if you'd be so kind."

"I can do it," Link volunteered. "Tools and supplies are in the shed?"

"Yeah, thanks, kid. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be takin' a nap inside."

Chuckling giddily while Malon scolded him, Talon turned around and headed back into the house, apparently being completely serious about napping for the rest of the day. Paying it little attention, Link headed over to the shed on the far side of the corral. Grabbing the necessary tools and as much wood as he could carry in one trip, he made his way to the fenced area and began testing each plank for durability. Though he'd never used a conventional hammer and nails before, it couldn't be too hard to figure out…

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

"Seriously, you handled a sword every day and only got a few scratches, yet the moment you pick up a hammer you manage to break three fingers on the first plank of wood?"

Chuckling while wincing in pain, Link watched as Malon wrapped the index, middle, and ring fingers on his left hand before pinning the bandages together with a safety pin. Once finished, she slid a dish full of ice under his swollen hand and somewhat aggressively (at least, it felt like it) pushed his fingers in.

"You're lucky we have a cold storage vault in the basement," Malon said as she began packing away the first aid equipment. "Most places wouldn't have any ice available like this, but since we have to store meat somewhere, we actually have ice to spare."

"Heh, well, I'm grateful for it," Link answered sheepishly. "I guess I'm just not good with blunt tools… Cuts are easy to fix, but these broken fingers could seriously hamper my productivity around here."

"I think the issue is that you didn't stop after you broke the first finger," Malon giggled, tucking the first aid kit back into one of the cupboards. "Honestly, I don't even know how you managed to hit your fingers more than the nails."

"Oh, I suppose you could do better?"

"Um, hello, I've lived here for twenty years; I've had to repair those fences at least a dozen times. The most I've ever gotten from doing that was a sliver or two."

"Tch, show-off."

Malon giggled again and started heading toward the front door. "I'm going to go finish – or should I say start – fixing the fence. I don't think there was anything else you had to do, so just sit there and keep icing your fingers."

With that, she quickly stepped outside and headed out toward the corral. From where he was seated, Link could actually watch her working on the fence through the window. He smirked as she took one look at the plank of wood he'd managed to nail on, shook her head, and pulled out the nails before redoing it herself. Apparently he wasn't much of a handyman.

Turning back to look at his bandaged fingers, a wave of nostalgia washed over Link. He could not count the number of times some kind soul had offered to patch him up after he'd been through some particularly rough trial. Of course, this wasn't exactly what he would call a rough trial, but the idea was still the same. If he had to remember all the times he returned to Marin's home, only to have her tending to his wounds before he could even say "I'm back," he wouldn't be able to count them all on two hands (at least, not in his current condition).

It was strange, though, thinking of all the times he'd gotten injured on Koholint. Since the events of the Wind Fish's dream had never really occurred, the injuries he'd sustained within it had not either. Link's body was already covered in scars before he wound up in the dream, but to have some of the more significant ones he'd gotten simply disappear from his body, well, it was akin to having his belongings stolen from him. Those scars held memories: memories of fighting _and_ of healing.

"So, what'd you go and do this time?"

Glancing over at the staircase, Link spotted Talon walking towards the table he was seated at. Pulling out the chair across from him, Talon took a seat and got a closer look at Link's bandaged fingers.

"I guess you could say I'm not much of a carpenter," Link chuckled dryly, lifting his numb hand from the ice and placing it back down. "Managed to break three of my fingers nailing down the first piece of wood."

"Yeesh, didn'tcha say you were good with a sword?" an astonished Talon cringed.

"Sharp tools are fine, it's the blunt ones that I'm no good with," Link said, motioning the movements with his right hand. "At least with the sharp ones, you know to keep your hands away from the blade. Most blunt things need you to put your hand right in the strike zone."

"Say what you want, kid, but I think you're just a dummy when it comes to regular jobs and whatnot."

Link smirked, finding that he wasn't in the best position to retort to Talon's jabs. Instead, he turned back out the window, noticing that Malon had gotten significantly further along the fence in the relatively short amount of time she'd been out there. Considering how hard Malon worked, Link had come to terms with how much she liked to tease him about his own work ethic. On its own, he seemed like a decent worker, but comparatively, he was lagging behind…far behind.

"Are you still planning on heading off soon?" Talon asked after the brief silence. Link turned towards him, but didn't have a clear answer at the moment. "I haven't really been keepin' track, since I told you it wasn't necessary, but I'd reckon your debt's been paid off. You're free to take off anytime you like, jus' be sure to say goodbye before you do."

Feeling inexplicably guilty all of a sudden, Link dropped his gaze, unable to face Talon after hearing those words. "I-I…I suppose I should, shouldn't I? I mean, there's no reason for me to stay here now that I'm back to my regular self."

For a while, neither of the two men said anything, simply sitting at the table while the sounds of livestock and Malon's hammer filled the silence. Try as he might, Link could not seem to look Talon in the eye, though he could not seem to determine why. After all, Talon had just said that the blond's debt had been repaid, so he was not obligated to stay and help out any longer. Besides, by staying, he was just one more mouth to feed, and it wasn't like his presence at the ranch helped the animals reproduce any quicker.

Talon breathed deeply and cleared his throat as he began to speak. "Listen here, Link, if you want to leave, I won't stop you, but personally I think Mal really enjoys your company. I know you told me that you're still in love with some other woman or something, but I still want you to think about what I said to you before. I know it was sudden for me to spring somethin' like that on you, but you might just be the only one for her."

Wordlessly, Link turned to look out the window again, watching as Malon leaned against a stronger part of the fence and fanned herself with her hands. Turning back to face the man across from him, Link forced himself to meet Talon's gaze.

"The thing is, I still don't really know much about this land," the hero explained. "Being an adventurer, I'm perfectly capable of blazing my own trails and figuring out the geography for myself, but it's always nice to have a place to come back to. I think I'd at least like to stay here until I know a fair amount about Hyrule; it's not like I dislike being here…"

Talon hardly reacted as Link finished what he was saying. It looked as though the older man was waiting for him to continue, which, given the content of what Talon had been talking about, wasn't exactly something Link wanted to discuss right now. Unfortunately, it seemed that the bald man wasn't going to budge until he got at least a trace of an answer.

"I can think about it," Link sighed, giving in to the unyielding stare. "I really can't promise that anything will happen, though. I'm…not entirely sure I'm ready to feel that way about someone again, anyway. It was too painful the first time, and even now I…it still hurts…"

Slowly, Talon shut his eyes and let out a deep breath, as if he'd been holding it in the entire time Link had responded. "I s'pose I'll just have to live with that, then. When you've made up your mind, whether it's about stayin' or about Mal, just let me know. Anyway, sorry 'bout bein' so pushy about all o' this. I just want to make sure you an' Mal both have your futures figured out, separate or together."

As Talon got up and began heading towards the front door, Link called out to him, "Talon, you aren't…hiding something from Malon, are you?"

With his hand on the door handle, Talon kept his gaze forward for a moment, his expression blank. Just as a sense of worry began to settle within Link, the moustached man quickly turned to face the hero with a big, mischievous grin.

"Wahaha, no need to worry about me, Link!" Talon guffawed loudly, holding his jiggling belly with his free hand. "I didn't mean to send you for a scare or anythin'; besides, does this old man look like he's gonna be turning up daisies anytime soon? If your hand is anything to go by, I'd say that you'll probably wind up dead before I do!"

With his hearty laugh echoing throughout the property, Talon stepped outside and headed toward the corral where Malon was about half of the way completed. Looking at his bandaged hand again, Link smirked as Talon's words echoed in his head. Gently plunging his fingers into the ice again, Link curled his right hand into a fist.

"Better watch out, Old Man. Once this hand heals up, I'll be working ten times as hard to prove you wrong."

* * *

Hopefully it's clear as to why the general moods in Link's dreams and the real world are so different from each other. For the most part, things are going to stay this way until a certain point, and there will be quite a few revelations once that point is reached.

Malink fans, don't get too mad at me for how slow things seem to be progressing. Maybe it's just me who thinks things are progressing slowly because my updates have been rather abysmal (my apologies), but I hope it's clear that his relationship with Malon is growing closer, even if only a little bit at a time. Marink fans, I also apologize to you because of how lacking his relationship with Marin seems to be. It should be understandable as to why that is, but for two people that already have a pre-established relationship, no, they don't seem much like it (blame it on the fact that he's trying to forget her because she isn't real).

Thanks to **G01den Unicorn 11 **and **MadSkillz** for reviewing!

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	6. Comfort, Discomfort

Well my plans to get this chapter posted by Friday kind of went out the window…considering I didn't even start writing it until Saturday :P. I blame work. Maybe people will start reading and reviewing things more with the upcoming summer break (for us northern hemisphere-ers, anyway) and that will motivate me to write more often. It probably won't, but who knows?

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Comfort, Discomfort_

Days turned into weeks and before long it had already been just under two months that Link had been staying with the ranchers. The general weather conditions were beginning to warm up for the hot season in Hyrule, though there was still the odd spell of rain once or twice every couple of weeks. For the most part, however, the skies were clear.

It was not uncommon to hear lively events going on in either Hyrule Town or Kakariko Village. With Lon Lon Ranch located on the plains between both locations, sounds of festivals or special markets going on would often make their way over, whether carried by the wind or simply from the sheer volume.

Link sighed as he leaned on the fence stopping one from falling off of the plateau Lon Lon Ranch was built upon. He did not have any particular interest in going to one of these festivals, but it would certainly be a change from getting hot and sweaty with the animals all the time. With his fingers just about healed, he figured that now would be the best time to go off and have fun, though perhaps it made the least sense with productivity being down.

"All done your work?" Malon's voice called from somewhere behind him.

"Yeah, I was just taking a second to breathe," he sighed, turning around and grabbing the pitchfork he'd been using to replace the animals' hay.

The redhead tilted her head to the side, a questioning look coming over her face. "Are you okay, Link? You look a little tired or something."

"It's nothing, I ju–"

"You aren't getting heatstroke, are you?! Oh, geez, you should've said something! Let's get you into the shade!"

Without giving him a chance to explain that that wasn't it, Malon firmly grasped his wrist and pulled him towards the closest source of shade: a tree. Practically forcing him to sit at the base of the trunk, she dashed off and quickly returned with a pail of water and a cloth.

"I know you feel bad because of your fingers, but you don't have to overwork yourself in the sun," Malon reprimanded, soaking the cloth and slapping it onto his forehead without wringing it out.

"I-It's not the sun, really," Link spluttered, wiping the streams of water that flowed down his face. "I seriously was just taking a break for a minute."

Apparently, Malon was too concerned with what she thought was his deteriorating health to pay attention to what he was saying. Running around to put the pitchfork and other tools away, she immediately came back to tend to him again.

"Y-You're really overdoing it," he said, shutting his eyes as she reapplied the soggy cloth to his head. "Why are you so concerned about me?"

"Why? Because…well, b-because…"

It seemed that those were the key words that clicked her back into reality. For a few minutes, the two of them stared at each other, their deep, blue eyes trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Link had to blink a couple of times as the water droplets flowed toward his eyes, but neither broke their focus until Malon suddenly removed the cloth from his head.

"Well, because you're a member of our household now!" she stated firmly, dropping the cloth back into the water. "I would do the exact same thing if my dad suddenly–"

"Decided to take a break? I'm pretty sure he does that all the time and I've never seen you rushing over to him."

Malon didn't seem to appreciate Link's dry joke, as she grumbled something incomprehensible and began storming off to wherever she had been before. However, she only made it a short distance away before Link noticed her begin to stumble, and he was on his feet the instant he saw her start falling over. Rushing over to her, he was able to catch her before she hit the ground. Taking one glance at her reddened face, the hero did not think twice about rushing her over to the shade and giving her the exact same treatment that she had unnecessarily given him.

"See? _This_ is what happens when someone overworks themselves," Link chuckled, wringing out the cloth and gently placing it on her forehead. "You got all worked up tending to me when you didn't have to, and now the tables have turned, except that you actually need this."

Malon puffed up her cheeks at him but did not make any sort of retort; after all, she wasn't in the best position to do so. Without any imperative tasks to complete at the moment, Link took a seat beside the overheated redhead, thinking it best to stay with her at least until she cooled down to a reasonable temperature.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, with Link reapplying the wet cloth to her forehead and the back of her neck every now and then. Listening to the sounds of livestock, he could distinctly make out the boom of some sort of drum coming from one of the towns. If he had to guess, he would say that it was coming from Kakariko Village, as he had heard that some of the Gorons would be coming down from Death Mountain to join in for the festivities.

"I guess you aren't really interested in any of the festivals, huh?" Link mused, turning his head slightly towards Malon.

"Not especially," she responded quietly, playing with the ends of her hair. "I used to go sometimes as a kid, but most of the time they're just big outdoor markets. I don't really have a lot of use for fancy clothes or material things, so most of the appeal is lost to me."

"Makes sense," Link said with a shrug. He figured that her reasoning would be like that, though he still had a slight interest in going to see what it might be like.

"We can go if you want," Malon said as if she had just read his mind. "There's going to be one at Hyrule Town tonight, so if you wanted to see…"

Link pursed his lips a bit as he thought about it. Honestly, Malon didn't sound all that enthusiastic about going, though she also didn't seem put off by the idea. He didn't want to be the only one having fun if they went, so he would have to try to show her a good time. Not that doing so would be overly difficult, but he had never really had to convince someone that something was fun when the idea of it all already was.

"Well, if it's not too much of a hassle…"

"Heehee, you don't have to be shy about it. If you want to go, then we can go."

Feeling the slightest bit embarrassed, Link only nodded and stretched out his limbs.

Without any work to do, killing time until the evening would be somewhat difficult. Glancing around, the hero realized he had not seen Talon in quite a while, and determined that he was probably snoozing away somewhere. To be fair, the warm air induced drowsiness fairly easily, and Link let out a wide yawn just thinking about it. Maybe it would be a good idea to take a quick nap so that he would be fully awake tonight.

Turning his head to say something to Malon, he stopped when he noticed her deep, slower breaths. It seemed that he was not the only one feeling sleepy, as the redhead was comfortably napping against the base of the tree. Smirking, Link laid her down flat so that she would not wake up with a stiff back and neck. Removing the damp cloth from her forehead, he used the back of his hand to check how her temperature was. Satisfied that she had cooled down, the blond simply dropped the cloth back into the bucket and did not bother reapplying it.

Leaning back against the tree trunk, Link propped one of his knees up and comfortably rested his arm against it while he gazed up toward the sky. Sighing, he wondered what might occur if he fell asleep right now. As strange as it seemed to be, his continuous dream of being on Koholint Island had yet to cease, even after all of this time. From what he had discovered, the time of day in his dream would always oppose the time of day in the waking world, so if he were to sleep now, it would be the middle of the night there.

Unable to suppress another yawn, Link blinked a few times to clear his vision. Seeing Marin every time he went to sleep was not such a bad thing, but knowing that she was not actually real weighed more and more heavily with each day that he awoke. The hero had since given up on trying to forget about her, figuring that it would be a futile effort if his subconscious constantly returned to her with each evening.

Had losing her truly been so traumatizing? He had only stayed on Koholint for a few months, which was not much more than he had been staying here at Lon Lon Ranch for. Thinking about it rationally, his feelings for Marin seemed rather contrived, as his relationship with her had come into being almost out of nowhere. He did care about her, even now when he knew it made no sense to, but he could not help but think that his feelings for her had been born from the unfamiliar sense of belonging that he had not had the chance to experience before. Perhaps that would explain why his relationship with Malon had grown more naturally…

Running his right hand through his hair, the hero glanced at the sleeping redhead beside him. What was Malon to him? She had very clearly told him that he was a member of their household now, but he had no idea what to think of her. Was she only a friend, or had their relationship become more familiar than that? Seeing her smile every morning was like a wave of nostalgia, one that made him feel both welcomed and vulnerable at the same time. Did she mean something to him, or was his psyche simply trying to replace Marin? He hated the idea that she might only be a replacement to fill the void, and yet the possibility was too great to deny.

Allowing his drooping eyelids to close themselves, Link let out a deep breath and leaned back into a more comfortable position. The only thing he could do at this point was let things continue to run their course the way they had been. Perhaps if he was lucky, then an answer would come to him, though the thought of going crazy before an answer appeared seemed more likely than anything…

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

_Just as expected, Link slowly opened his eyes to see the moonlight shining in through the window, illuminating the dark room in an eerie, pale glow. Insects buzzed about outside, interrupted only by the sound of Tarin snoring from the bed across the room._

_Sitting up in his bed, Link glanced over to see Marin calmly sleeping in the bed beside his, her trademark orchid placed in a small vase on her nightstand. Only able to frown, the hero swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood himself up, wincing slightly from the pain in his left hand's fingers. It was hard to remember that his injuries from the real world carried over into his dreams._

_Silently as he could, Link crept across the room and stealthily exited the house, wanting to step out to think. Luckily, there would not be many interruptions at this ridiculous hour, so he did not have to be overly cautious about sneaking around outside. Even Bow-Wow the Chain Chomp did not seem to notice his presence as he carefully snuck past its post._

_Stopping by the house where he often saw children playing, Link sat down by the edge of the cliff and allowed his feet to dangle over. Looking down, he remembered the time he and Marin had fallen down the hole hidden by the tall grass below. At the time, it had been rather painful and not much fun, but it was now a funny memory that he associated with his time on Koholint. Of course, there was no need to think of it in such a way any longer, as he could easily hop down there anytime he fell asleep in the waking world._

_Lying on his back, Link sprawled his arms out in a T-shape and stared up at the cosmos. The stars here did not twinkle, and while it was never something he had really thought about before, the brightness that they elicited was almost unnerving. It was rather insignificant, but this was only one more reminder to him that this was not a real place, adding to the collective number of things that seemed to accumulate the longer he spent in this never-ending dream._

"_Ah, I was wondering who was stargazing at this hour, but it's just you, Thief."_

_Tilting his head back a bit, Link spotted the somewhat creepy-looking shopkeeper approaching him with some sort of pack on his back._

"_I wish you'd stop calling me that," Link sighed, turning his gaze back up to the sky as the bald man sat next to him. "I paid you back with interest, didn't I?"_

"_Doesn't change the fact that you stole my goods in the first place, though I guess I went a little overboard, firing my death beam at you when you came back to pay for it."_

"…_I still never understood why you would have something like that… I guess things don't have to make sense in a dream," he muttered to himself._

"_What was that?"_

"_Nothing, nothing."_

_Rather than asking what the shopkeeper was doing so far from his house at this time of night, Link opted to stay silent and continued watching the stars. They weren't exactly friends, anyway, just neighbours on the island._

"_So, Thief," the shopkeeper broke the silence, "what are you doing out here so late? Marin's going to be in a panic if she wakes up and sees you gone."_

_Link shrugged, his voice rather nonchalant as he spoke. "I doubt it; this wouldn't be the first time I haven't been there when she's woken up in the middle of the night. Besides, I could ask you the same question."_

_The shopkeeper chuckled, his squinty eyes squeezing even tighter as he did so. "You could, but I wouldn't have a very interesting answer for you. I was just out collecting some ingredients that only appear at nighttime."_

_Link didn't bother asking what possible things he might be using as ingredients right now, as the man was already creepy enough. Resting his hands beneath his head, the blond took a deep breath of the cool, salty air._

"_It's not really my reason for being out here," he began slowly, hoping that he wouldn't end up weirding out the shopkeeper, "but what would you say if I told you this island was a fake."_

"_I'd ask you if all your screws are in tight enough," the shopkeeper responded flatly._

"_I figured."_

"_Heh, well, I think you'd have to be an idiot to expect any other kind of response. But you've piqued my interest; what's this all about?"_

_Link hesitated for a moment. This would probably be his only opportunity to tell someone from here about what was going on. While the shopkeeper wouldn't have been his first choice, Link had been having trouble telling Marin, so he would have to make do with this guy since he was actually willing to listen._

"_Let's just say that, hypothetically, this entire island and everything on it, including the people, were nothing more than a dream that the Wind Fish was having."_

"…_Okay, doesn't really make sense since the Wind Fish hatched and flew off, but I'll humour you…"_

_Another expected response, but Link continued anyway._

"_Well, after the Wind Fish woke up, everything on the island disappeared except for me, because I wasn't actually a part of its dream. Instead, I returned back to the real world, and the only reason you and I are talking right now is because this place appears in my dreams every time I fall asleep in the real world. Basically, everything here is nothing more than a figment of my imagination, a mental projection of the place I wanted to call home."_

_Allowing the silence to stagnate the air for a bit, Link waited for the shopkeeper to laugh at him or make some sort of quip, but the bald man did not say anything. Curious as to what he was doing, the hero briefly glanced up to look at the man, only to see him with a hard look on his face._

"_Hmm," the shopkeeper hummed. "Not too sure what you want me to say here, Thief. Normally I'd just tell you to stay out of Tarin's mushroom stash, but something about what you were saying just gave me chills all of a sudden. It's too stupid for me to believe, but you don't sound like you're just screwing around with my head."_

_Turning around, the bald man faced Link and opened his eyes almost enough that Link thought he could see his pupils._

"_I'm probably not thinking straight because it's so late, but let's just say that I believed your crazy story. If this is all some kind of dream, then what are you doing in the real world?"_

_Pausing for a moment, Link sat up so that he could speak to the man more easily. Not wanting to face him when they were sitting so closely, he looked down below in the general direction of the hidden hole. "For the past two months I've been working and living on a ranch with this old man and his daughter. They've been really kind to me, giving me a place to belong and treating me like family. It's like I found a Tarin and Marin in the real world."_

"…_And this girl is roughly the same age as Marin?"_

"_Huh? Yeah, I guess so, though I don't really know what that has to do with it."_

_Link glanced to his side when the shopkeeper sighed and clapped a hand to the blond's shoulder. "Listen, Thief, you have a really roundabout way of explaining things, but I think I've got the picture now. I know you aren't the most morally stable person around, but you should probably break it off with one of them because things will definitely get ugly if you keep seeing them both."_

_Link cocked his head back, confused by what the man was trying to say to him. "Wait, what?! I don't know how you interpreted what I was saying, but it sounds like you've got the wrong idea!"_

_Unfortunately, the shopkeeper said nothing more as he shook his head and walked off. Watching him leave, Link groaned and fell back once the man was out of sight. Just what could he have meant by that?_

_Of course, it only took a few minutes of going over what he had said to figure out what the most likely misinterpretation was. Slapping his right hand over his eyes, Link let out an exasperated breath and mentally berated himself. Of all the ways to misunderstand, he had basically convinced the shopkeeper that he was cheating on Marin with Malon. Even though this was a dream, he didn't want Marin to find out about Malon and the real world through some gossip around town, especially if it was all a misunderstanding!_

_After going over his best courses of action, Link slowly got to his feet and began making his way back to the house. Brushing some of Marin's hair off her face when he got back in, the hero quietly got back into bed and shut his eyes. The only option he would have would be to explain everything to Marin the way he had with the shopkeeper first thing in the morning. She probably wouldn't believe him, but at this rate he wouldn't have much of a choice. If he wanted to avoid any misunderstandings, then this was the only option he had._

_Turning on his side, Link calmed his racing mind and allowed the sound of someone calling his name to soothe him into slumber._

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

"Link… Link, wake up…"

The hero stirred as he felt his body being lightly shaken. Rubbing his eyes open, he looked to see Malon with a big smile on her face as she removed her hands from his shoulder.

"'Morning," he said groggily, yawning as he sat up.

"Hmhm, I'm not sure "morning" is the right word to say right now, but sure, good morning to you too."

Malon was correct, as the sky was painted with a mixture of reds and oranges that slowly faded into a violet colour as the sun set further on the horizon. A breeze blew by, and the redhead put her hand up to her head to stop her hair from flowing into her face. In the glow of the sunset and at the angle the light was currently hitting her, Link gulped at how pretty she looked. Even with the bits of grass stuck in her hair from lying on the ground, he could even say she looked beautiful.

"It'll be dark soon," she said, standing and picking the grass out of her locks. "We should probably bring the animals back inside and wash up before we head to Hyrule Town."

Accepting her outstretched hand to help him up, Link also got to his feet and nodded in agreement. At Malon's insistence, he somewhat reluctantly headed back to the house to wash up first while she went to put the horses back in the stables. Wiping his boots off on the doormat, Link stepped inside, noticing Talon still half asleep on the rocker in the living room.

After quickly bathing and changing into some clean clothes, Link came back down, ready to go, though he still had to wait until Malon had gotten ready.

"So, where are you two off to tonight?" Talon said to him from the spot he had been in before.

"The Hyrule Town night festival," Link said plainly, shrugging as he did so. "I kind of wanted to check it out, so Malon said she'd take me."

"Did she now?" the moustached man mused, scratching his chin as he did so. "I haven't taken her to one o' those in a long time. I'm sure it'll be a hoot an' a half for you two."

"I hope so," Link said as he leaned against the back of one of the kitchen chairs. "She didn't sound excited about going. I mean, she wasn't against it, either, but it just seemed like something she wouldn't normally do."

"Mal's a simple girl," Talon said with a shrug. "We make our living without all the big, fancy stuff that goes on around here. I think the only times I've ever had to get all dressed up was for my weddin' and the odd time I have to deliver to the castle, but even then I usually jus' stay in my normal clothes."

"And it's completely unbecoming when you do," Malon said as she entered the house. "We're supposed to carry ourselves like professionals in front of important business partners, Dad."

"Wahaha, you make it sound like no one else matters at all," he hollered as she climbed the stairs to get ready.

Malon was ready to go surprisingly quickly, and the two of them were out the door before Talon had a chance to make any sort of comment (or if he did, they didn't hear him). Because Hyrule Town was so close to the ranch, they did not need to take a horse to get there before it got dark. Link realized this when he first saw Malon come down the stairs in a dress as opposed to riding gear. Walking at a steady pace, the gate came into view shortly, and the sounds of the festival starting began to lift Link's spirits.

Crossing through the entry gate into the city, Link's eyes lit up at the sight of the lantern-lit streets. Hundreds, possibly even thousands, of paper lanterns dangled from strings that hung across the streets, illuminating the city in a multitude of colours. Children ran about gleefully, waving lit sparklers around like magic wands. From all directions, street vendors called out to passersby, advertising the game or goods they were selling and fanning the scent of their snacks into the crowds.

"Is there a specific theme for this?" Link asked curiously as he turned to Malon.

"I'm not really sure," Malon said, glancing around to see if there were any common elements. "If I had to guess, I'd say it has something to do with fire or light, but don't hold me to that."

Satisfied with her answer, Link led the way down the crowded, stone-paved streets, taking in all that the festival had to offer. While this was certainly not the first festival or celebration the hero had taken part in, he always found it easy to get caught up in the general mood of the crowd. Stopping in front of a street performer, he laughed as the man magically juggled some sort of glowing, fist-sized balls of light and made them twirl around Malon's body. The redhead seemed a bit shy of all the extra attention it garnered her, but everyone watching seemed to enjoy it.

Continuing to wander through the streets, Malon pulled Link over toward a game booth where the player had to knock things over with a slingshot to win a prize.

"You know, I'm pretty good at these kinds of things," Malon said confidently, handing a blue rupee to the operator.

"Oh? Why don't you show me what you're made of," Link taunted.

Giving him a challenging smirk, the redhead picked up the slingshot and one of her three deku nuts and carefully scoped out her target: a stuffed cow hiding away in the top right corner. True to her word, Malon lined up the shot, pulled back and released, sending the nut hurtling toward the target in front of the cow. The shot barely missed its mark, grazing the edge of the target and only causing the cow to wobble a bit.

"Shoot!" she said, grabbing another deku nut, only to miss the shot once again. "Okay, those first two were just practice shots!"

"Heh, whatever you say," Link chuckled, watching as she took a bit of extra time to line up this last shot.

With a concentrated look on her face, the redhead quickly sent a glance his way, with a message reading something akin to "watch this." Flicking her eyes back on her target, Malon released the nut, allowing it to fly across the gap and connect with its target, easily knocking the stuffed cow off of its shelf. Smugly accepting the toy, she turned to Link and stuck her tongue out at him.

"See? I told you I could do it," she chanted, hugging the soft toy against her chest.

"I never said you couldn't," Link responded with a smirk.

Without consulting Malon, he dropped three green rupees on the counter and grabbed the slingshot and single deku nut provided for him. Keeping his gaze directed at the redhead's smug face, he fired the slingshot without even looking and chuckled as her expression dropped into one of disbelief. Still not bothering to look over, Link put down the slingshot and held out his arm to accept the oversized, golden cucco toy that he had just won for hitting the tiny target hidden behind the others labeled 'Grand Prize'.

"Hmph, you're just a big show-off," Malon huffed immaturely, turning away from him.

"Hey, now, you think I won this thing for myself? What exactly am I supposed to do with a giant cucco toy?"

"What do you–"

Without giving her a chance to respond, Link shoved the stuffed cucco into her arms and ran ahead a few steps. Laughing as she awkwardly tried to give chase with the small cow and oversized cucco, he made sure to keep enough distance so that she would not be able to do anything to him.

As the night wore on, people began to gather around the fountain in the centre of town. Curious as to what everyone was standing around there for, Link found a spot where he and Malon could fit amongst the crowd. Taking a seat on the edge of the fountain, he laughed as she forcefully shoved the cucco into his lap.

"Any idea what everyone's doing here?" he asked.

"Mm, I think I might have an idea," Malon hinted playfully.

Before he got the chance to ask, a bright burst of light blew up in the sky, followed by a loud boom and a wave of "ooh"s from the crowd. Unprepared for the explosion, Link jumped a bit, causing the cucco to fall off his lap as he looked up in the direction of the light. From beside him, Malon giggled at his reaction and placed the cucco back in his lap.

"What was that?" he asked, eyes darting all over the sky as he searched for another one to appear.

"Heehee, it's a firework, silly," she teased, nudging him lightly in the side. "You've never seen one before?"

Was it commonplace to know what a firework was? Link had never seen something like it before, and it initially sounded like a cannon or some kind of destructive weapon. He gazed in awe as a few more blew up in the sky, their colours cascading down in trails of neon-coloured light. The sight was mesmerizing, completely capturing his full attention with each new flower that bloomed in the night sky.

He wished that Marin were here to experience this with him. This was something that he knew he would not be able to describe to her. Even with all of the magical tools and people he had seen in the past, there was something about these colourful explosions that put all of those other things to shame. He wanted to hold her close to him right now, feel her excitement match with his as each delayed boom pulsed through their bodies.

With all of the excitement and wishing that Marin could be here, Link hardly noticed when Malon's side was gently pressed against his. If he kept his eyes off of her face, it would almost be like Marin really was with him, watching the fireworks burst in the sky. However, he could not help turning towards her after a short while, and, while not disappointed to see Malon's smile, a strange feeling stirred within him at the sight of someone other than whom he had been thinking about.

The fireworks show reached its climax as a barrage of rockets was sent up into the sky to burst in a chain of multicoloured explosions. When the last boom pulsed through the audience, a wave of cheers and applause erupted from the crowd, with Link's laughter rising over it all. It was odd, this feeling of excitement and freedom. His heart was racing and true joy seemed to bubble forth from within him. For perhaps the first time since he had arrived in this kingdom, the hero could truly say that he was feeling whole, happy in this moment of fleeting youth.

"Come on, you little rascal," Malon teased as the crowd began dispersing. "I know you're having fun playing around like a kid, but it's getting late and we should head back home before Dad suspects something."

"I'm pretty sure he would suspect something if we'd only been gone for a couple of minutes," Link chortled as the redhead dragged him toward the entrance.

Upon reaching the gate, they were surprised to find it closed and locked shut. Turning to one of the guards stationed in front of it, they were met with a rather unwanted response.

"Sorry, kids, the gate's gotta stay shut until morning," the armoured man explained, gesturing to the crank beside him. "It's dangerous to open it after dark, what with all the monsters, so your only option at this point is to find a place to stay for the night. I'm sure there are a bunch of inns with vacancies."

Unable to reason with him to allow their exit, the couple reluctantly turned around and began searching for a place where they could stay.

Contrary to what the guard had said, finding a place for the night could not be more difficult, as everyone who had been at the festival was currently occupying the rooms wherever they looked. Stumbling out of their fourth inn, Malon groaned in annoyance as they headed towards the only other one she knew of.

"Ugh, that guard was so full of it," she huffed. "There's never been a single monster in our ranch, and we don't need some big, fancy gate to stop them."

"I'm sure it's just a necessary precaution," Link reasoned, trying to balance Malon's stuffed cow on top of the giant cucco. "Besides, there are a lot more people here, so it's probably more attractive to the monsters."

The redhead grumbled something incomprehensible, to which Link could only shrug and continue following her. When they reached the last inn, both of them felt their hopes drop as the common area downstairs was filled with people. Approaching the counter, they fully expected to be rejected instantly.

"Actually, you're in luck!" the bulky innkeeper exclaimed as he opened up his check-in book. "It looks like there's one room available."

"We'll take it!" Malon said without asking any questions.

Splitting the cost and placing the appropriate amount of rupees on the counter, they took the key and headed off to the indicated room. Once they stepped inside, though, their gratefulness at finding a place to stay disappeared.

"U-Um…y-you don't suppose there's…another r-room we could stay in, d-do you?" Malon stuttered to Link, her face redder than her hair.

"He did say that this was the only one left," Link answered quietly, his face also burning just as hot.

Before them was a normal room without any special amenities or other things that would have been found in one of the more expensive rooms. However, as the innkeeper had no way of knowing that they were not a couple, they found themselves staring at a single bed, large enough to fit two people but likely made for only one (or a very cozy couple). Considering that all the other rooms were taken, there would not be another bed available.

"I…could just sleep on the floor," Link offered, taking a couple steps into the room and turning to face Malon. "I can just use one of these toys as a pillow and let you sleep in the bed."

Surprisingly, Malon shut her eyes tightly and shook her head rapidly from side to side. "N-No! You're too tall to fit in any of these spaces on the ground comfortably. Besides, if I took the bed for myself, then I'd feel too guilty to fall asleep."

"I know it's not really ideal, but we don't have much of a choice. I don't think that rotating shifts on the bed is any better."

"That's true, but…it just doesn't seem fair…since you paid for the room too…"

An uncomfortable tension hung in the air, keeping the two of them from finding a proper conclusion right away. Link really had no complaints with sleeping on the ground, but it seemed that Malon was not content with taking the bed for herself. It was clear that both of them knew the only option they were leaving themselves with, but neither was willing to say it out loud. As it stood now, however, it would be morning by the time they finally came to a decision, so Link, with his insides feeling like putty, took a deep breath and spoke the words they didn't want to say.

"S-So…you're suggesting that we sleep…to…t-together…in the bed?"

"Eep!" Malon squeaked, hands flying to her mouth as the words passed his lips. Her face turned a deeper shade of red, and she kept her eyes looking anywhere but the blond in front of her. Despite her extremely embarrassed antics, however, she moved her head in a tiny nodding motion. "A-As long as we sleep back to back, I-I'm okay with it… But only this once!"

"Well, yeah, obviously only this once!" Link responded, quickly turning around to create some distance between himself and Malon.

Stepping over to the far side of the bed, he sat himself on the edge and placed the toys on the ground. He kept his head bowed down, feeling too embarrassed to look up, even though she was behind him. A few moments later, he felt the mattress shift under him, and he quickly stole a glance over his shoulder to see that she was sitting on the opposite edge with her back to him. At this rate, despite having reached the critical decision, they still wouldn't be getting to sleep until morning, so the hero swallowed his pride and slowly began pulling his shirt over his head.

"Ah, what, what, what, what are you d-doing, Link?!" Malon gasped as he dropped his shirt on the ground.

He was expecting a reaction like this, but it didn't make him feel any better about his reasoning. "I-It's too hot for me to sleep with my shirt on, and if we're going to be sharing the bed, th-then your body heat will make it even warmer…"

Awkwardly allowing himself to fall into a sleeping position, Link kept his back turned to Malon as he tried to take as little room on the mattress as possible.

As expected, it felt like a very long time before the mattress shifted under him, indicating that Malon had also lain down beside him. Though neither of them was aware, a very large gap, probably about fifty percent of the mattress's surface, was left untouched between them. Other than the loud beating of both of their hearts, the only sound in the room was the muffled noise from the inn's common area.

"W-Well…um…goodnight, Link," Malon spoke barely above a whisper, almost as if she had lost her voice.

Shutting his eyes, Link could only imagine the things that Talon would say to them when they returned tomorrow, and hoped to get through this ordeal as quickly as possible.

"Y-Yeah. Goodnight, Malon."

* * *

Geez, this turned out longer than I was expecting it to. I knew that it was going to be a bit longer with the festival and the dream sequence conversation, but I was still only aiming for a mid-5000 amount of words. Still, I liked how this one came out, though I probably should have spent a bit more time on the last part.

So, what's in store for next chapter? Well, I guess I can say that he'll be having a talk with Marin, and I'll be having a bit of fun writing Link and Malon waking up (and, of course, Talon's teasing when they get home), but for now that's all I can really say.

Thanks to **MadSkillz, SecretFlowerChild, **and **The Polyethylene Man **for reviewing!

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	7. Two Lives

Ah, sorry about the longer-than-usual wait! I really don't have any excuse for not writing so I feel a bit bad that I never sat down and got to it. Distractions are distracting; you know the drill. Hopefully you'll pardon any mistakes you catch for now, as I wanted to get this posted as soon as possible. I'll be going back through it at a later time to clean it up a bit.

I would like to thank all of the people who added this to their favs and follows over the past month! While it wasn't a huge number of people, it seems like this story is starting to gain a bit of momentum and I can't thank you guys enough :)

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Two Lives_

_Daylight streamed in through the window, casting a blanket of warmth over the green-clad warrior on his bed. Yawning as he stirred from his sleep, Link cracked his eyes open, stretching out his body as he slowly sat up. Giving the relatively small home a quick look-over, it was apparent that Tarin and Marin had both gone out. Judging from the angle that the sunlight was coming in through the window, it seemed to make sense that they wouldn't be home right now._

_Link swung his legs over the side of the bed and stopped to think for a moment. How long had he laid in bed before he was finally able to fall asleep? He remembered hearing Malon's breathing relax, but he had to have continued lying there for at least another hour or so. For whatever reason, his nerves simply would not settle, and he was surprised that he had even fallen asleep at all._

_He had never truly experienced a situation like the one he had been put in just then. Sure, he was prone to a bit of embarrassment every now and then, but the very idea of sharing a bed with an attractive woman set his nerves on fire. Oddly enough, it was only the bed that made him uncomfortable, as sleeping beside her under the tree had no effect on him at all; in fact, the idea of potential embarrassment had not even crossed his mind for that incident._

_As Link tried to ponder why a sleeping surface could change how he felt so easily, he became aware of a shadow blocking some of the incoming window light. Twisting his body around to see who was there, he was met with a smile as warm as the sunlight itself._

"_Well, well, look who's finally awake," Marin teased, leaning on the open windowsill. "I'm almost certain you went to bed before I did, so how did you manage to sleep this long?"_

_Thinking back on what had occurred last night (nighttime being relative to his dream's time, anyway), Link scratched his chin, keeping a nonchalant expression on his face. "I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. I went for a walk and ended up staying out for a while before I came back and passed out again."_

"_I see." The redhead spoke as if she was skeptical of his claim, but her joking tone let him know she wasn't being serious. "Well, now that you're up, would you mind coming to the store with me? I could use a hand bringing back some of the stuff I need to buy."_

"_Sure, let me just…well, I guess I don't really have to do anything."_

"_Haha, maybe you should wake up before we go."_

Wake up, huh?_ he thought to himself, realizing the irony of her statement. _That would be a little counter-intuitive…

_Hopping off the bed, Link stepped out of the house and started heading down the path with Marin. It hadn't occurred to him initially, but he realized that by going to the store he would be coming face to face with the creepy shopkeeper. After their previous discussion, Link wasn't exactly looking forward to seeing him again, and that was before considering that Marin would be with him._

"_Say, Marin," he said, stopping on the spot. The redhead, having taken a few steps ahead of him, turned back with a confused look on her face. "Do you think that maybe…we could talk somewhere?"_

_Taking a couple of glances back and forth, Marin's confused expression remained. "Um, sure; I'm not sure why you feel like you need to ask permission first, seeing as we always talk."_

"_Well, I mean…it's just…would you mind putting off buying whatever you need at the store until afterwards?"_

"…_I suppose… Is everything alright, Link?"_

_Rather than answering her, Link simply glanced around before gesturing for her to come with him. Turning in the opposite direction from where they were heading, the couple started on the path that would lead them to the beach._

_Neither spoke as they headed toward their new destination. Link was too busy trying to determine how to explain his situation to her, so he did not have the capacity to speak. Marin, understandably, was not sure what was going on, and seemed as though she did not want to say anything lest she provoke Link. Before long, they found themselves perched at the edge of a cliff that jutted out towards the ocean. Keeping some distance between himself and the short barrier around the edge of the cliff, Link looked out to the water, unable to face Marin._

"_So, what did you want to talk about?" Marin asked, unable to fully hide the concern in her voice._

"_I…" Link began, but found the words getting caught in his throat. Despite having a fair amount of time to prep himself for this moment, it was much more difficult actually speaking to her than imagining the situation in his head. Without any ways to stall for more time, Link began to feel foolish for not speaking._

"_Link, there's no need to feel uncertain," Marin reassured as she stepped beside him. "I promise that nothing you say will make me feel any differently about you."_

_Her soft fingers gently cupped his chin so that she could lift his head. Now looking right at her loving, almost motherly smile, the hero felt his resolve strengthen slightly. Hoping that it was enough to him to form the words, he took a breath and slowly began to speak._

"_Um…well, to start, you haven't heard any…unfavourable rumours about me this morning, have you?"_

_Dropping her hand from his chin, Marin cocked her head to the side, giving him a mildly surprised look. "No, I haven't heard anyone say anything about you today. You didn't get all worked up about something like that, did you?"_

_Feeling relieved, Link sighed and shook his head. "No, no, I just wanted to make sure there were no misunderstandings," he said, a fair amount of tension leaving his voice, though his tone quickly adopted its serious demeanour again. "I…I wanted to talk to you about…that day…"_

"_That day?"_

"_You know…when the Wind Fish was awoken."_

"_Oh…maybe we should sit down for this."_

_Agreeing with her suggestion, the two took a seat on some flat rocks that jutted out of the ground. Knowing that he was now too far into this to back out, Link gulped and did what he could to keep eye contact with Marin, who admittedly seemed to be having a difficult time meeting his gaze so as well._

"_I guess you still remember what happened, judging from your reaction," Link spoke only loud enough to hear over the waves. Marin nodded but did not respond. "Even if no one else believed you, it seems like it'd be hard to forget something like that… Marin…before I try explaining things, why do you think that you…no, that_ everyone_ and the island are still here?"_

_Marin stayed silent for a while, and Link felt his heart sink as her gaze fell to the ground. The petals of the orchid in her hair fluttered with the breeze, and her hair blew somewhat erratically, blocking her face at times. As much as Link wanted to end this conversation now, he knew that he could not, and bit his lip as he endured the pain of seeing Marin struggle over this. After all, even if she were only a figment of his subconscious now, it hurt to see the woman he loved questioning her own existence._

"_I…I have no idea," she said quietly. "I haven't really been trying to think about it very much because it scared me. I mean, how was I supposed to cope with the idea that everything and everyone I knew, including myself, wasn't even real? I had accepted that I was going to disappear, but now that I'm here, I'm afraid that discovering the truth will really end it all."_

_Link could only try to sympathize with her, but there was no way for him to really understand what going through something like this must have been like for her. She was the only one on the entire island who understood what she was, and yet she didn't want to accept it._

"_You won't disappear," he reassured, though he could not hide the tinge of uncertainty lacing his voice. "I…the reason you still exist now is…is because you're a part of my dreams…"_

_Marin looked up at him, brushing aside some of the hair that was flowing in front of her face. A thin smirk formed on her lips, and she seemed to have taken his words in an unintended way._

"_Is this meant to be some kind of bad pickup line? If you're trying to make me feel better, you could have said something a little more mood-appropriate, don't you think?"_

_Link felt his face warm up a bit, but he ignored the embarrassing misinterpretation without much trouble. "No, I didn't mean it like that; I literally meant that you are a part of my dreams. It's almost like the dreams of the Wind Fish were given to me, and now my mind is perpetually her on Koholint whenever I fall unconscious."_

_Unsurprisingly, Marin adorned a questioning look. "I don't understand, Link. What are you trying to say?"_

"_I mean that…that…" He paused, finding this explanation to be the most difficult as well as the most crucial. "Everything here…this island, the people on it, you…it's all still just a dream…"_

_Marin said nothing, and Link found his resolve wavering as her complexion paled. This was the only way to tell her, and the fact that she even believed him so easily almost seemed to make it more difficult to continue. He wanted her to doubt him, act as though he was trying to make some kind of joke in poor taste, but she did not. In fact, she had never doubted him; it was one of the reasons they were so close, and was now the reason this was so much harder to explain._

"_Marin, I…" he spoke shakily, finally giving in to his temptation to look away from her, "I know it's a lot to take in, but…it's the same as before. This is nothing more than a dream."_

"_But you're here," she said, the confusion and fear in her voice taking over. "I see you every day. You go to bed every night beside me, and…I can reach out and touch you."_

_Following her words, she did exactly that, cupping her quivering palm on Link's cheek. Purely by instinct, he brought his own hand up to steady hers, but still found that he could not look directly at her face. A strange feeling of déjà vu washed over him as he recalled making similar claims when this island first collapsed around them._

_Why did this have to be so painful? Why did it hurt him to tell these things to an imaginary person? They were in his dream, created by his own mind; could he not simply will her to calm down and understand? If this really was all occurring in his head, then he should be able to control everything by thinking. At the same time, it felt wrong to take control of this place. This island was where he had spent 'months' living, building relationships and getting to know people over these 'months'. If he started controlling them, they would be no different than puppets without a will of their own._

"_Where are you, Link?" Marin asked, reminding him of the conversation he'd had with the shopkeeper. "I just can't understand… How is it possible for you to be here if this is only a dream? Why do you go to sleep here and wake up every day like normal if this is only a dream?_

"_How can I still mean something to you if _I'm_ only a dream?"_

_It was a legitimate question, and one that Link had pondered over and over again. He had known for quite some time now that she was not real, yet he found that letting go of his feelings for her was nigh impossible._

"_I'm sorry," he said after a brief silence, "I…I don't fully understand the situation myself. From what I've figured out, this me, as in the version of me sitting here and talking to you, is just my consciousness projected in my dream. The real me is asleep on the other side. The reason I fall asleep here is because that's how I transfer my consciousness back to my actual body."_

_Again, there was silence, and Link caught a glimpse of Marin biting her lip from the corner of his eye as she lowered her hand back into her lap. This was more or less the way he had imagined this conversation might go down, though he had wished and prayed that she would be a bit calmer about it all. To be fair, it might have unsettled him if she had been any calmer about such a situation._

"_Marin… Regardless of whether you're just the creation or manifestation of something in my mind, you're still the most important person in my life. I know this is hard to grasp, but this won't change anything between us, no matter what."_

_The blond knew that his words had an extremely low chance of lifting her spirits, so he was not hurt by her lack of reaction to what he had said. Watching as she slowly got to her feet, their eyes met for the first time in what felt like a very long and arduous amount of time._

"_I…I think I need some time to think by myself," she stated, voice filled with uncertainty. Only able to nod in understanding, Link watched as Marin headed back towards the village._

"_Well…I finally did it…" The roar of the waves crashing against the cliff muted his words._

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

Link opened his eyes, not feeling the slightest bit tired after falling asleep so late last night. Perhaps by spending the rest of his dream doing nothing, he'd somehow managed to rest more than usual. Whatever the case, he was fully refreshed, though his spirits were lower than usual.

Staring straight up at the ceiling, he sighed and shut his eyes again. It was only a dream; it shouldn't be affecting his real feelings so much. True, this strange never-ending dream was almost like living a second life, but when it came down to it, it was nothing more than an imaginary scenario created within his unconscious mind. While highly unusual, the continuity really didn't make it any more than that.

Link opened his eyes in surprise as he felt the mattress shift beside him. He'd nearly forgotten that he had been sharing a bed with Malon. As the bed shifted again, the blond felt something brush against his torso lightly, and he shivered as it tickled his skin. Carefully lifting the sheet draped over his body, he glanced down to see what was going on.

How he had managed to remain ignorant of Malon's presence beside him was anyone's guess but his own, and Link found himself in a rather awkward position. Under the sheet, Malon's arm rested lightly on his torso, not in a way that indicated she had been holding him, but enough that he felt slightly uncomfortable. Next to him, the pretty redhead laid on her side, her steady breaths tickling his bare shoulder from the close proximity. Her light sundress was ruffled a bit from when she had moved in her sleep, and Link could not help noticing the unintentionally promiscuous way in which her shoulder was now exposed.

Had her arm not been resting on top of him, Link simply would have slipped out of the bed and made sure to avoid any awkwardness; however, because it was there, there was no guarantee that she would remain asleep if he tried to slide out from under it. Gulping, he did his best to calm the quickening pace of his heart, hoping only that the heavy pounding from his chest would not somehow stir her from her slumber.

Turning his head to face her again, Link was suddenly struck by the image of what he was looking at. He had never even come so close to Marin before, at least, not while sleeping, and the idea of sharing a bed with Malon left him with mixed feelings. Malon was, put in simple terms, a very beautiful girl, and the idea of being so close to her, especially after forming the bond that they had, excited him. At the same time, there was an emptiness to accompany this excitement, one that left a longing feeling from within him. He wanted more, and yet he wasn't sure that he wanted her to fill the void that plagued his soul.

Against his better judgment, Link reached his left arm across his body to brush the hair from Malon's face. Luckily, this action did not seem to affect her consciousness, and he slowly brought his arm back down to his side. With her hair out of the way, Link realized that he had made not only her face more visible but her bosom as well, giving him a clear view of her cleavage. Blushing profusely, Link quickly rolled his entire body in the opposite direction, giving little thought to the fact that such a sudden movement would likely wake her up.

When the loud thumping of his heart stopped pumping in his ears, the sound of Malon's light groans reached his ears. Not daring to even peek over his shoulder, he felt the mattress shift beneath him, though it did not seem to have moved enough to indicate that she had gotten up; in fact, as the mattress continued to shift, Link felt her warm, slender body press up against his before the shuffling ceased.

Trying to keep his eyes focused on the stuffed animals on the ground, Link shuddered with each breath that Malon breathed onto his back. Thank the gods that Talon would never find out about the specifics of this experience, but Link wasn't sure that he would be able to last much longer if this kept up. The only upside to all of this was that he was no longer consciously thinking of Marin, but this feeling of excited unease was almost more than he could handle.

Noticing her breaths begin to increase in rate, the blond suppressed his nerves and did the first thing that he thought might get him out of this situation.

"M-Malon?" he spoke barely above a whisper. "A-Are you awake?"

There was no voiced response, but the sound of Malon giving off a sharp inhale surprised him, covering his skin in goosebumps. In the next few seconds, he felt Malon retreat away from him, and he shakily looked over his shoulder to see her large blue eyes nervously staring back at him, her reddened cheeks contrasting the pale complexion on the rest of her body.

"S-Sorry, Link," she squeaked, quickly covering her shoulder with her dress. "I-I guess I was still half asleep when I…huddled up t-to you."

"Um…don't worry about it," he said, quickly sitting up and facing away from her to avoid any more possible mishaps.

For a while, the two of them were silent, neither moving at all from the positions they were in. Link did not have the audacity to look back in case she was still staring at him wide-eyed. At the same time, he felt frozen on the spot, unable to move to get up or even reach for his shirt. With all of the cold sweat covering his body, he wasn't exactly feeling too warm for his top anymore.

"Y-Your…" he heard Malon mumble from behind him. "Your arms look better."

Those words seemed to be the key to get his motor functions working again, and he slowly turned around to face her, his face twisted in slight confusion.

"U-Uh…are you saying I look more fit?" he chuckled nervously in a poor attempt to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, her deepening blush made it clear that she had not meant it in that way.

"No, th-that's not it," she squeaked, hiding her eyes behind the sheet in a childlike way. "Well…they are a little more defined…but I wasn't trying to imply that… I-I only meant that the markings on you arms look like they're going away."

Taken aback by what she had just said, Link futilely tried to get a glance at the backs of his arms, but found that, once again, doing so was incredibly difficult without a mirror. Spotting one hanging on the wall by the door, he swiftly made his way over to it, using the natural light from the window on the other side of the room to examine the markings. Checking his left arm, it seemed the same as before, with the odd character-like markings going all the way from his shoulder blade to his elbow. Switching to check his right arm, however, he was surprised by what he saw.

Just as Malon had said, some of the markings on his right arm seemed to have vanished. Before, he had remembered that there seemed to be fewer on his right than his left, but now it seemed that the number had reduced again. While the markings on his left arm reached all the way down to his elbow, the ones on his right seemed to stop about halfway up his tricep. In fact, just by looking a bit closer, he could see that the last marking seemed to be more faded than the others, as if it were a scar that was disappearing over time.

"What is this?" he mumbled to himself, rubbing them with his hands as if doing so may reveal some hidden meaning. Of course, nothing changed, and the marks felt no different than his unmarked skin did.

It seemed rather odd to wonder why these markings were disappearing, as Link did not even know the reason for why they had appeared on his arms in the first place. If anything, he should have been glad that they were going away; however, now that he was aware of their fading, he could not seem to shake the thought from his mind.

"Sorry," Malon apologized as she quietly began getting out of bed, "I-I shouldn't have brought it up… You seem kind of stressed about it now…"

Taking one last glance at his right arm, Link sighed and walked over to where his shirt was crumpled on the ground. "It's nothing to apologize about," he said, hastily throwing the shirt over his head. "To be honest, I hadn't even thought about the markings since the time you first pointed them out to me, so I was a little surprised when you mentioned them again."

Poking his head through the hole, Link was relieved to see Malon relax and give him a small smile. Scooping up the stuffed animals, he handed Malon the small cow and the two of them exited the room, leaving behind the awkwardness of having slept in the same bed together.

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

"Heh, I know I'm always teasin' you kids about foolin' around, but as a father I can't help but be a tad concerned when the two of you stay out all night without giving me a heads up, y'know?"

Link and Malon, though used to the constant teasing, found that the circumstances of this particular instance made it difficult to look at one another. Despite Talon's jeering tone and goofy expression, it was clear that there was some concern hidden under his happy-go-lucky attitude, even if only a little bit.

"Hey, c'mon now," Talon beckoned, the cheerfulness of his voice fading away. "It's no fun if you don't play along or argue back. You didn't…actually do something, did you?"

"O-Of course we didn't!" Malon burst back at him, her face turning beet red. "We just got locked in Hyrule Town, so we stayed the night together at an inn!"

Link could not help his face from burning up at her choice of words, and he avoided any and all eye contact with either of them. It didn't matter either way, of course, as Talon's mischievous gaze and giggles practically drilled holes into the side of his head.

"Dad, you know that's not what I meant!"

"Now, now, Mal, no need to get so flustered; after all, Link's a good-lookin' fella. I can't blame you for having a bit o' fun, but maybe this isn't the type of stuff you should be telling your old man."

"Rrgh, you're just a nasty old lech!"

Hearing Malon's footsteps storm up the stairs, Link waited for the sound of her bedroom door slamming before he turned to face Talon. Met with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, the blond could only sigh at the wordless conversation they were currently having.

"Care to elaborate a little more, Link? Unless, of course, something of _that_ nature really did happen, in which case I reckon I'd rather not hear about it."

"I find it hard to believe that such a feminine girl could be _your_ daughter," Link sighed before adding, "and by feminine I mean girly, not any sort of implied sexual nonsense that you were probably about to try joking about."

"Sharp as ever, I see," Talon chuckled, snapping and swinging his arm in front of him in defeat. "Well, I guess I can assume the two of you had yourselves a good ol' time. Mal's a bit of a sucker for stuffed animals, so that big cucco you won for her probably made her night."

"Heh, I'm not sure I'd say that," Link laughed, recalling how he'd arrogantly won the grand prize and forced it upon her. "Still, though, I think she had a good time; I definitely did."

"Oh?"

"Oh, what?"

"Your eyes lit up just now like you were thinking about somethin' in particular. I s'pose it's not too important, but there's one thing I am curious 'bout."

"Which would be…?"

"There a reason you and Mal were so jittery when she said you ended up staying at an inn?"

An odd feeling swept through Link's body, mixing together his exasperation over Talon's seemingly endless questions with the embarrassment that came along with the aforementioned questions. Lolling his head back and letting out a breath, Link decided it would be better not to talk about it at all, as doing so may lead to misunderstandings.

"It was just a little out of both our comfort zones. With all the people in town last night, Malon and I had to share a room so it was kind of weird. That's all."

"Huh, I didn't expect something so minor to get to either of you, but I guess inexperience is the worst obstacle when it comes to those types o' things."

"…Honestly, I don't know if you say things like that on purpose or if you just don't realize the meaning behind what you're saying…"

Rather than waiting for a response from Talon, Link grabbed the giant cucco off the sofa and made his way upstairs, dropping the giant stuffed toy in front of Malon's door. Heading over to his own room, he leaned against the windowsill and watched as Talon bumbled out to the corral. Truthfully, he and Malon should have been out there with the older man, but Talon gave them no sign that he urgently needed them to assist him today.

Without anything to distract him at the moment, Link's thoughts quickly wandered back to Koholint and Marin, and a dropping feeling within his chest significantly dampened the hero's spirits.

With all the crazy, silly antics that happened around Malon and Talon, Link hardly ever had to worry about stressing over Marin or his life on the imaginary island. Clearing his mind was like a breath of fresh air, and he could not forget that fleeting feeling of happiness he'd experienced while watching the fireworks last night. This pair of ranchers was the remedy that steered his thoughts away from the depression of a nonexistent past. With them, the most trauma he might ever experience would be mishaps with the animals he now helped to care for.

Because of this, though, it made the flashbacks and memories hit him so much harder when they resurfaced. The dreams were bad enough, especially now that he had upset Marin to the point where she would probably avoid him for the next few sleeps.

Link clenched his fists in frustration, cursing under his breath at everything that had to happen with her. Why couldn't he have returned to the real world as a normal person? Why did his mind insist upon recreating the island he knew he could never return to? Most importantly, though, why did it all have to seem so real?

It seemed like such a cliché question, and yet it wasn't. This dream was not real in the sense that it felt real in his head; no, it was real in the sense that nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening and he was able to recall every event that occurred, as if the time he was spending there was all happening in real time. Like he had thought before, being in the dream was more similar to living a second life than having a series of unconscious brain signals manifesting themselves into something coherent.

For no reason in particular, Link grabbed the small hand mirror on his bedside table and gave a hard look at his reflection. There were no signs of weariness, meaning that his body really was resting like normal while he was off in his dreams. Similarly, he'd noticed that his dream body was also rested when he 'awoke' in there. This made sense, of course, as it wasn't as though dreams were meant to tire a person out, and the opposite should also prove to be the same.

A knock at his doorway startled him, and he quickly looked up to see Malon standing by the open entrance.

"Hey, were you in the middle of something?" she asked.

"Oh, no, I was just about to change into some working clothes," he lied, tossing the mirror by his pillow and standing up. "Did you need something?"

"No, no, nothing like that," she said, waving her hands to make sure he understood. "Don't worry about changing, either. It looks like Dad handled all of the morning duties, so we probably won't have to do much until later today."

"Makes sense," Link responded, lazily sitting back down on the edge of bed. Noticing that Malon had not left, he gestured for her to sit beside him, scooting over a bit to make room. "What's up?"

"Um…well," she began, tentatively stepping towards him and taking a seat, "you seemed a bit stressed this morning, so I just wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"Did I? I could have sworn that you seemed more stressed when we got back here," he chuckled; however, Malon seemed only the slightest bit amused by his joking tone, so he took the hint and turned serious. "If you're talking about this morning when we were getting up or when I was checking out the markings on my arms, then it's nothing to be concerned about. Anyone in our situation would have been a little bit stressed."

It seemed that was not her concern, as Malon shook her head to elaborate on what she meant. "I get that, but what I mean is just…your general attitude all morning from when we got up all the way until we got back here. You seemed more distant, almost like you were back to the way you were when you first woke up here."

"Really? I think you're exaggerating."

"Okay, well, you weren't _that_ distant, but you seemed quiet and…hesitant, I suppose. It looked like you had something on your mind and it was stressing you out, so I just wanted to make sure that you were all right."

Link did not answer right away, instead opting for looking back at Malon. Staring back into her deep blue eyes, he wondered if it was really possible that she had sensed his distress from small changes in his personality. They had only known each other for a short time, and yet she was able to see that it wasn't just "one of those days" for him.

He wanted to brush her concern off as nothing, yet no words were produced as he tried to tell her he was fine. She leaned toward him in the slightest movement, expectantly waiting for him to say something, and Link suddenly felt something within him that he had not experienced in what seemed like a very long time. His insides turned warm and jittery, and his hands began to clam up as the redhead continued to gaze back at him. Each second that his words caught in his throat felt like an eternity, and his nerves felt like they were on fire.

Why now, of all times, would he be experiencing this exciting and terrifying rush? Was it something to do with what she had said? Every time he attempted to speak, his larynx acted like a word filter, blocking out anything that would not allow the situation to continue in the way it was going right now.

"Link," Malon said softly, her gentle tone soothing his chaotic insides, "you don't have to talk about it if you don't want. Just…if you need to vent for a bit and release your stress, I'll be here to listen whenever you need."

Feeling his heart rate begin to decelerate, Link glanced down as Malon lightly placed her fingers overtop of his. Only a light blush seemed to form on her cheeks, but her stunning smile made the change in complexion seem intentional, as if to further accentuate her pretty face. Captivated by the genuineness of her words, Link suddenly lost control of what he was saying, allowing his mouth to run on autopilot.

"M-Malon…" he mumbled, unable to stop the words from escaping. "I… You…you're…"

"Heehee, deep breaths, now."

Unintentionally following her orders, Link took a couple of breaths and closed his eyes for a moment. As he reopened them, he slowly spoke the only words that his word filter seemed to allow of him.

"You're incredible, Malon… The most amazing person I've ever met…"

* * *

Aaand, that's where I'll end off this chapter. Why here, you ask? Why not continue developing their relationship right this second? Well, the answer is simple: it's too soon for it to really pick up any speed. There will be development, of course, but I can't have them suddenly acting like they're in love out of nowhere. Besides, considering that up until this point there hasn't really been much of anything going on between Link and Malon, at least from a romantic point of view, this seems like a good starting point, though I'm hoping it didn't come across as too sudden or contrived.

Also, feel free to make guesses as to what might be going on with the marks on his arms. I won't be able to confirm or deny anything you guys might think is happening, but it's always fun to see how people interpret things. The only hint I can give is that they don't have a big impact on the story right now, but later on…*snickers mischievously*.

Thanks to **MadSkillz, Niki Bogwater, MadlyPurple, ivanchan389, G01den Unicorn 11, **and **plas **for reviewing! Apologies for not responding to any of you; I'll do my best to do so for this chapter.

Again, thanks for all the favs, follows, and reviews! It's really encouraging and makes my job a whole lot more enjoyable :)

–_GengaJupite_


	8. Night Turns to Day

Holy crap, the summer heat just came out of nowhere this past week. I'd enjoy it a whole lot more if I wasn't working all day under the sun, but I need money. After all, as the saying (sort of) goes, "Money can't buy happiness, but it can get pretty damn close."

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Night Turns to Day_

The still night air was pleasantly cool, contrasting the heat generated during the day. Insects buzzed and chirped about to create a harmonious atmosphere, sonically enhancing the feel of nighttime. The moon was hardly a sliver, allowing for the stars to dimly illuminate the open fields of Hyrule.

Lying on one of the thick branches of a tree, Link found himself casually peering through a break between the leaves. With a stalk of wheat in his mouth, he watched a number of fireflies zigzagging about in the air in front of him, and if he broadened his focus, they almost looked like stars dancing in the sky.

There was no telling what time it was, but it had to have been well after midnight by now. Feeling rather weary from all the things he'd had to deal with before, it was a wonder how Link was managing to stay awake. Regardless, he felt no desire to sleep, and he was not sure that he could force his body to do so even if he tried, thus leading to his current act of stargazing in a tree.

Sighing, he sat up with his back to the trunk and peered over at the darkened windows of the house. As his gaze fell on the drawn curtains of Malon's window, Link roughly ran a hand through his blond locks. Never in his life had the hero felt so incredibly stupid as he had that morning. He had no idea what compelled him to say such a ridiculous thing to Malon, and the surprised, embarrassed look on her face was more than enough to let him know that he had overstepped whatever sort of boundaries they had set up.

"The most amazing person I've ever met," he scoffed quietly, quoting the words he'd said to the redhead. The idiocy of those words left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he unintentionally spat out the wheat stalk as he cleansed his tongue of the taste.

It was true that he thought Malon was a great person; he would even go so far as to admit he thought she was incredible, but to make the claim that she was the most amazing person he knew, well, even thinking about it just made him feel silly. After all, he'd only known her for hardly two months, and it wasn't as though she'd done anything overly impressive. She was sweet, she understood him, she genuinely cared for him, but so had countless others he had met throughout his travels. Marin was probably the most loving person he'd met so far, but he had never said something like that to her.

Like always, Link's regular expression dropped into a frown as thoughts of Marin surfaced in his mind. He figured that the main reason he had not gone to sleep was because he did not want to face whatever awaited him on the other side. If he recalled correctly, his dream body had taken refuge in some hidden grotto after the disheartening discussion with Marin. Even if he fell asleep, would he dare head back to Mabe Village? In his current state of mind, Link was almost certain that he would end up lazing about inside the seaside cave until he woke up again. The thought of seeing Marin at such a critical time was rather unfavourable, not to mention that he had never cleared things up with the shopkeeper.

Sliding down onto his back, Link sighed again as he peered at the stars. It was a purely cowardly move to stay awake like this. There was no excuse he could make that would make his actions seem acceptable or just. He was avoiding the potential unpleasantness physically, mentally, and consciously. Of course, after the mishap with Malon, things weren't exactly spectacular in the real world either.

The blond smirked as a thought crossed his mind. He was like a child who would not go back to sleep after experiencing a nightmare; in a sense, that was exactly what he was doing. The amusing difference was that a child would eventually fall back asleep and wake up to realize that the nightmare had ended as soon as they woke up the first time. Link, on the other hand, knew that his personal nightmare would not be over if he fell asleep, and would wake up with the dreaded feeling that things would not settle simply by waking up.

A distant howl echoed on the winds, and Link turned his attention to the starlit fields. From the limited light, he was able to make out a few bumbling figures that he assumed to be some stray stalchildren wandering for prey. He chuckled dryly at the idea that he would rather stay awake while monsters wandered all around him than simply go to sleep and potentially face some minor unpleasantries.

A speck of glowing gold in the distant fields caught his eye, and he tried to focus on it as best he could. Initially mistaking it for a firefly, Link swatted at it, only to realize that it was, indeed, something moving rapidly in the distance. Unfortunately, it was much too far to tell what it was from here, and there was no chance he would be able to catch up to it by any means currently available to him. Oddly enough, after he rubbed his eyes with the hope to get a better view of it, the light vanished without a sign of ever having been there. Considering it had been racing around on an open field, there was no way it could have hidden behind something. Spending only a few moments scanning the fields, Link shrugged and went back to stargazing, figuring that his eyes were likely just playing tricks on him.

The night wore on and Link immersed himself in thought as he fought off the fleeting feelings of sleep. Before long, the sky began to brighten into a pastel-coloured purple, signaling the imminent sunrise. Sitting up to get a better view, he waited for the first light to begin peeking over the horizon. Watching the distant sky turn bluer and bluer, the sun suddenly appeared, immediately followed by the crowing of one of the cuccos.

Surprisingly, the front door to the house opened before the cucco could finish crowing, and Link looked down to see Talon bumble out of the house with a yawn. Normally, the old man was the last of the three to get up, so it was quite odd to see him up and moving before the day's first light. Nevertheless, the rancher was already on the move, making his way over to the stables to let the horses out. Thinking it might be funny, Link hopped out of the tree just before Talon was about to pass beneath the branch he had been on all night.

"What in tarnation?!" Talon cried, jumping back and clutching at his heart. "Link! What the devil were you thinkin' jumpin' out o' that tree and scaring the daylights out of me?! You nearly ended my life right there!"

"Heh, sorry, old man. Seemed like a good chance to get you back for all the hair I've lost thanks to you," Link chuckled.

"Hmph, you don't know a thing about hair loss, kid," the bald rancher grumbled, obnoxiously scratching his hairless scalp. "What were you doin' up there at this time of day, anyhow? Heck, you'd have had to be up there since before dawn!"

"To be honest, I couldn't sleep, so I ended up staying in that tree all night."

Talon scratched the side of his face with one finger before shaking his head and continuing towards the stables. "You young'uns and your crazy antics. Well, since you're up you can help me with the morning stuff. I'm sure Mal'll be out to help soon too."

Shrugging in indifference, Link followed along beside Talon. The older rancher's morning drowsiness seemed to have set back in, and the two of them walked without speaking. Link gazed out to the horizon, the golden colour reminding him of the odd light he had seen last night. Perhaps if he had the energy to stay awake for a second night in a row, he might try to spot that light again. It was likely that he would simply end up staying awake for naught, but Link's curiosity was the main reason he had ended up in so many life-changing situations.

A cough from Talon snapped the warrior's thoughts from the odd golden light. Helping the moustached man open the stable gates, Link lightly stroked each horse as it trotted out toward the corral.

"Aah, I'm gettin' too old for this whole 'work' thing," Talon joked, stretching his arms above his head and allowing his joints to crack loudly as he did so. "How about you take over the ranch in my place?"

"Glad to see you trust me more than your own daughter," Link laughed, wiggling his three recently healed fingers in front of him.

"Heh, well, I was thinkin' more along the lines of lettin' you co-run it with her."

"…Let's not get too ahead of ourselves here."

Talon chuckled and got right to work cleaning the stables. Thankful that that conversation had simply ended instead of getting out of hand or overly serious, Link retrieved some meal from the supply shed and began filling the feeding trays around the perimeter of the fenced area.

As the morning continued on, Malon's absence became increasingly unusual. At first, Link thought little of it, as Talon had not commented on it; however, the sun was now high in the sky and the redhead still had yet to leave the house.

"Hey, is Malon sick or something?" Link asked as Talon was walking by.

"Hmm? Don't think so," he responded slightly confusedly. "She seemed fine yesterday. Why?"

"Oh, well, I just thought it was…kind of unlike her to skip out on work," Link said in a half joking manner. "Either that or she's just been avoiding my line of sight."

Talon smirked a bit but hardened his expression when he thought about why she might be avoiding her chores. "Nothin' really comes to mind, y'know? Mal's pretty good when it comes to doin' what she's asked, so I don't question her on these rare occasions when she isn't working. If it's botherin' you, then you can go ahead an' ask; I won't stop you."

The older man continued going about whatever he had been doing before, leaving Link to ponder of her options. It wasn't very hard to guess why she might be skipping out on working, but he couldn't imagine that what he had said the other day would bother her _that_ much. After all, it wasn't like staying inside would keep the two of them from seeing each other all day, considering that he would have to go inside throughout the day to wash up, eat, and use the restroom.

Still, the fact that she could have been so shocked by his comment made him hesitate from going right inside and checking on her. After a while of deciding whether or not to go, Link slowly began moving his legs toward the entrance of the house. If worse came to worst, he could always leave and go back to his work, and it wasn't as though there were too many things that could go wrong. It wasn't as though he was going to barge into her room unannounced or anything of the sort.

With those scraps of reassurance he'd managed to scrounge from nothing, he gulped and apprehensively turned the doorknob. Each of his footsteps seemed as loud as explosions as he unsurely made his way towards the staircase. The stairs were not much better, as each one creaked as he made his way up, and he felt like he had just fought an intense battle by the time he had reached the top. With Malon's bedroom door now in sight, however, there would be point in turning back now.

Unable to stall for any more time, Link gingerly walked to her door and held his breath as he knocked on the door. When no response came, he exhaled and cleared his throat.

"Uh, Malon?" he called a bit shakily. "It's me; can I come in?"

Again, there was not response, and Link let out a sigh, half in relief and half from concern. Checking to see if she had locked the door, he reached for the handle and attempted to turn it. Finding that it was not locked, he cracked it open.

"I'm coming in," he quietly announced.

Pushing the door open just enough to step in, she appeared to still be asleep. From outside, he had seen that her curtains were still drawn, but Link still found it a bit surprising that she had yet to get up. Worried that she may be sick, he cautiously approached the blanketed figure and gently touched the back of his hand to her forehead. Relieved that she didn't seem warmer than usual, Link felt his tensed muscles relax and he softly took a seat on the edge of her bed. With their backs facing each other, he didn't feel quite so awkward being in her room while she slept.

"I guess I should apologize for what happened yesterday," he spoke quietly, pretending she could hear him so that he would be able to say it properly when she woke up later. "I…I honestly don't know what was going through my head when I said that to you. I mean, you're definitely an amazing person but…I shouldn't have said you were the _most _amazing… Not that I'm trying to compare you or anything. Well, it's not like I really could decide what makes a person better than another… Damn, I don't really know where I'm going with this. Point is, I shouldn't have sprung that on you."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, he nervously glanced over his shoulder. Reassured by her unchanged posture, Link turned back around and tried to articulate his thoughts a bit better.

"The best way for me to put it is that I feel comfortable around you. We haven't really known each other for that long, but you and Talon are kind of like a family to me…just don't tell the old man I said that. I know I'll have to leave eventually – after all, I can't keep relying on the two of you forever – but I think what I was trying to say before was that I almost feel like this is my home too, and just being around you…and I guess your dad, too, gives me that homey feeling.

"Ah, I'm getting a bit off-topic here. I was really surprised yesterday when you noticed that I wasn't my regular self. I didn't notice much of a change in my usual personality, myself, so the fact that you noticed, mixed with the comfortable feeling I get around you, made me say what I did. It was pretty dumb and sort of a spur-of-the-moment thing for me to say; subtlety isn't really one of my greater assets.

"Heh, I feel pretty weird now, sitting here talking to myself while I pretend to apologize to you. Who knows if I'll even be able to say any of this to you once you're awake? Ah, well, I guess I'll just have to deal with that when it happens. Really, though, I didn't mean to say anything that might make you uncomfortable, Malon, and if I did, then I'm truly, truly sorry…"

Now feeling even more embarrassed having finished his practice apology, Link could not find the gall to glance back at the redhead for reassurance that she had not been listening. Rather than subjecting himself to further mental torment, he leaned forward to stand up and leave. However, before he was able to get to his feet, the hero froze on the spot as Malon's hand gently but firmly gripped around his wrist. Shakily cranking his head back, he was met by her bright blue eyes staring back at him.

"S-So…you were awake that whole time…" She nodded. "And you heard all of that?" She nodded again.

Only able to chuckle bashfully, Link was caught between wanting to sprint out of there or finding out what she had to say to him, if anything. Of course, just as it had gotten him into this situation, his curiosity got the better of him, and Link stayed where he was despite the ever-increasing discomfort of his situation.

"I, um…" Malon mumbled, dropping her gaze for a moment before bringing it back up to Link's face. "I'm sorry, too."

Taken aback by her quiet apology, Link turned his body to face her more naturally and tilted his head a bit. "What are you apologizing for?"

Malon crinkled her nose slightly and answered him just as quietly as she'd been speaking before. "I-I overreacted to what you said… I mean, I wasn't really sure how to take it and it was on my mind all day and night. When I woke up this morning, I just…wasn't so sure if I would be able to be around you, and I ended up staying in bed this whole time."

So it really had affected her that much. Link inwardly cringed at the thought that she had been so shocked by his stupid comment. At the same time, he couldn't stop the edges of his lips from tugging up into a small smile.

"Sorry," he apologized again. "To be honest, it was on my mind all of yesterday, too, and I ended up staying up all night because I was too annoyed with myself to fall asleep. I guess we were both caught off-guard by the whole thing."

Malon smiled back at him, filling his insides with a warm, calming sensation. "I'm sure if Dad knew what was going on, he would laugh at how clueless and innocent we seem for people our age."

Link let out a breathy chuckle, feeling more relieved that they were both on the same page than embarrassed over his blunder. Now that their apologies had been made and the whole ordeal had been settled, he realized that he had completely recovered from all the tension and hesitation he had felt from before. It had hardly been a few minutes, and all it took was a short conversation to clear things up and get both of them back to their regular selves.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay," he said, to which he received a slightly unclear expression from Malon. "I thought you might have been sick or something, and Talon didn't seem too bothered by the fact that you weren't out here helping. It's kind of ironic, though; I came here to check on you, but I was almost hoping that you would be sick so that I wouldn't have to find out that the reason you weren't working was because of me."

"Oh, good, because your self-consciousness should definitely come before my health and well-being."

"Hey, now, I said I was worried and then relieved to find out you were all right. It would have saved me a bit of trouble if you had just been sick, but I suppose it's not a bad thing that you're okay."

Malon lightly swatted at him and they both broke out into a fit of light giggles. In the good mood that he was in now, it was almost difficult for Link to remember that he had been feeling very differently a short while ago. Was this Malon's doing? No, even if it was, he shouldn't be thinking that way; after all, doing so was what had gotten him into the whole uncomfortable situation from before. Whether she was the reason for snapping him back to normal so quickly was irrelevant. All that mattered now was that any awkwardness between them had disappeared as quickly as it had formed.

There was no telling just how long the two ended up talking and laughing about whatever came to mind. The thought of getting back to work did not even cross Link's mind until he heard Talon's boots clomping around downstairs. The older rancher didn't seem to mind that they weren't working, however, as the footsteps only lasted a short while before the sound of the front door sounded throughout the house.

"I should probably get back to work," Link said after Talon had left. "I kind of stopped in the middle of what I was doing. You should probably get up too, seeing as you're not feeling weird around me now."

"You're probably right," she said in a downcast voice. As the blond turned to get up, he once again felt Malon's firm yet gentle grip around his wrist, and he looked back at her to see what it was this time. With a sheepish, cute look on her face, the redhead quietly said, "But for now…maybe we could just stay like this for a little longer…"

Link raised an eyebrow at her and gave a little smirk. "Oh? Trying to skip out on even more chores? Or was there some specific reason you needed me to stay."

She smirked back at him but quickly softened her expression. Though the curtains were drawn, Link could see a light blush forming on her cheeks, and the sight made his own cheeks redden.

"Well, I…" she began quietly, doing her best to keep eye contact with him. "I guess you could say…I feel comfortable like this…with you…"

Whether she had intentionally chosen to say that because of what he had said earlier or simply because that was what she was feeling, Link had no idea, but her words were more than enough to convince him. Shifting his body back so that he was not turned away from her again, he smiled as the warm feeling spread throughout his body for the second time.

"Okay."

* * *

Gah, I sat over this trying to figure out if there was something more I could add, but I couldn't just keep going off on pointless tangents here and there. I really wish I could have made this chapter longer though… On a side note, all that summer heat I talked about at the beginning of the chapter got replaced with summer rain over the past week and a bit it's taken me to write this.

Hmm, I don't actually much to say about this chapter. I think part of the reason why it was so short was because I only had two things I wanted to cover/introduce in this chapter, neither of which I'll mention specifically, as one or both of them could potentially be important later on.

Thanks to **G01den Unicorn 11, Zolias, **and **Niki Bogwater** for reviewing!

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	9. Relativity of Reality

I think it's safe to say that any semblance of a consistent update rate from me has pretty much vanished. Sorry, guys, too busy with work and trips and prep for school and way too many other things to bother listing off. I'm hoping that updates will be more consistent (or at least more frequent) once I'm back at school, but we'll just have to find out.

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Relativity of Reality_

_Waves. Seagull screeches. Roaring tides. This was Koholint for sure._

_Link opened his eyes to view the algae-covered grotto he had been resting in. The air was musty and a bit dank, likely due to the fact that light could only get in through the cave's mouth. Stalactites dripped water into unseen tidepools, and the seawater that flowed in glowed from the bioluminescent plankton it contained. Sitting up after a drop of water plummeted onto his face, Link stretched his arms and cracked a few of his joints._

"_I guess it was inevitable," he mumbled. His mind was fully awake here, and the hero could only accept the fact that he would be here for a longer time than usual._

_He had spent at least three consecutive nights doing whatever he could to stay awake. It could have been more, but he had lost count when his sleepless delirium started to set in properly. He could only hope that his body was currently in bed so that he would not cause the ranchers to panic, but he really had no idea if he had managed to make it there before collapsing in exhaustion._

_Scooping some of the glowing seawater into a glass bottle he happened to have handy, Link watched as the light seemed to fade in and out dimly. It reminded him of the odd golden light he'd seen on the plains of Hyrule, which, unfortunately, did not reappear on any of the last few nights he'd attempted to spot it._

_Using the momentum of his legs, Link rolled up into a standing position and wiggled his legs to get the blood flowing again. Once they were stretched and limbered up, the hero made his way to the grotto's entrance. He had to squint due to the brightness, and it took more than a few minutes for his eyes to adjust. When he was able to see clearly, Link stopped on the spot to gaze around for a bit._

_Now that he was back here, he wasn't completely sure what to do or where to go. The whole reason he'd been staying awake in the real world was because he did not want to face what potentially laid in wait for him here. Would it be all right to return to Marin's house? Would it even be acceptable to head into Mabe Village? Link didn't have a clue, and the mere idea that the townspeople might ostracize him for something that wasn't true made going back a less than favourable option._

_Link shook his head and clapped his cheeks a couple of times. It was very unlikely that the shopkeeper tried to spread the word on what he mistook as the hero's philandering. Even if that had happened, the only person he needed to convince the truth to would be Marin, possibly Tarin too, if only for further reassurance._

_Still, how could he even hope to face Marin right now? After all the things he'd told her, it was possible that she wouldn't want to hear anything from him for some time, especially if word _had_ spread. When he thought about it that way, his disappearance for the past four or however many days it was would likely only serve to heighten suspicion levels around the village._

_Something sharp hit Link's right shoulder, and he quickly grasped at it, more in surprise than in pain. Looking up, it appeared that a seagull flying overhead had dropped a barnacle-covered shell onto him. Checking to see whether it had left a cut, Link was more shocked to see that the markings on his arm had once again reduced in number._

_From his current, awkward way of looking, he could just barely see the tops of some of the marks, but it was apparent that one or perhaps two had disappeared since he last looked a few days ago. It seemed that the rate of their disappearance was not constant, as it had taken almost two months for the first few to vanish. Was there something to these markings? Why were they vanishing in a specific order, and what, if anything, would happen when they had completely disappeared from his flesh?_

_Before he could ponder that question any longer, Link was interrupted by a loud ringing sound resonating from somewhere within the sea-cave. Re-entering the grotto and looking for the source, he cocked his head to the side when he came across a telephone ringing in the deepest part of the cavern. While these phones were scattered across the whole island, it was quite strange that one should be placed in such a closed-off, hidden place. Nevertheless, it was ringing, so Link curiously picked it up._

"_Uh, hello?" he answered._

"_Hello, yes, Ulrira here! I was calling to see if that package my wife mailed had been sent yet."_

"_O-Oh, Old Man Ulrira," Link tried to hold back his amusement over the shy yet talkative elder. "Sorry, this isn't the post office."_

"_Eh? I could have sworn this was the right number… Which phone did I end up calling?"_

_Link glanced around as if there might be some sign that would better describe the location he was in. Unable to find one (though not entirely expecting to have found one), he scratched his head as he replied. "Well…you sort of called…a cave…"_

"…_What's that? Sorry, lad, you'll have to speak up. My hearing may be going south, I could have sworn you said I called a cave!"_

"_Um, that is what I said. There's a telephone in this cave and I'm currently talking to you from it…"_

_There was a pause as Ulrira mumbled something incomprehensible on the other end. Link could only wait for the old man to say something, as he was unsure of what was going on completely._

"_Who in their right mind sets up a telephone in a cave?!" Old Man Ulrira blurted out after a while. "Honestly, what a nuisance. I'll be sure to call the phone company about this later. Gods forbid I end up calling a volcano by mistake!"_

_Both men chuckled, and just as Old Man Ulrira was about to hang up the phone, Link impulsively asked him something. "Oh, hold on a second!"_

"_Hmm? What is it? If it's anything to do with the island, I can tell you pretty much anything."_

_Link wasn't sure that it would be of any use, but it couldn't hurt to ask Old Man Ulrira, considering he was an encyclopedia pertaining to all matters on Koholint Island, past and present._

"_Well, it's not about the island, but I thought maybe you might know… A little more than two months ago, these weird markings showed up on my arms. They don't hurt or anything, but they've been disappearing from one arm and continuing down towards the other. Have you ever heard of anything like this?"_

_The old man hummed in thought, but was relatively quick to respond. "My apologies, but you'd best ask a doctor about something like that. From the sounds of it, if they aren't causing any sort of problems, then there's no use worrying about it. That's just this old man's advice, though; my field of expertise lies only with the happenings on the island."_

_Link sighed but was not too downtrodden; after all, it would be more surprising to find someone who _did_ know anything about these markings on his arms. Despite that fact, he was still a bit disappointed that no one even had a lead on what might be happening to him._

"_If that's everything, I'll be hanging up, then; gotta check on that package," Old Man Ulrira said cheerily. "One thing, though: whom have I been talking to this whole time?"_

"_Oh, I guess I forgot to say. It's Link."_

"_Link, eh? I suppose you're the only one that _would_ answer a telephone in a cave. Well, best of luck, m'boy."_

_Hanging up the phone, the blond sighed and leaned against the cave wall. That conversation had been so random and strange that he almost disliked that it was his own subconscious that had created it. Still, if nothing else, there was one thing he could take away from it._

_He could return to the village._

_If any nasty rumours or anything had been floating around about him, Old Man Ulrira would have been the first to hear about it. Judging from the elder's lack of reaction to finding out he'd been speaking to Link on the phone was a fairly good sign that nothing major had occurred while he was away. Mustering his resolve, Link took a deep breath of the salty sea air and slowly stepped out of the cave._

_The hero bit his lip as he took the first few steps onto the paved walkway entering the village. While not particularly reluctant to return, he felt himself hesitate despite being fairly sure that nothing would happen. Even as he passed by two playing children, he could not quell his uneasiness, regardless of the fact that neither they nor their parents took any notice of him._

_Continuing at his sluggish pace, it took a significantly longer amount of time for him to reach his destination: Marin's home. Everyone he'd passed by had greeted him regularly; even the shopkeeper waved at him from the window. All of the friendly, regular greetings, however, only seemed to make him feel more anxious about what might happen when he faced Marin. Would she act like nothing had happened? Perhaps she would still be upset with him. There was no telling, and after keeping himself out of this dream world, Link could not even hazard a guess as to what might be in store for him. With that thought in mind, he cautiously reached for the doorknob._

_The door creaked open, and Link peeked in before entering entirely. The house was empty, and he felt slightly relieved, though his anxiety was only getting postponed. Stepping farther inside, he spotted a note from Tarin, addressed to Marin that he would be gathering wild vegetables for the evening's supper. The blond smirked, wondering how Tarin always managed to waste away entire days picking questionably edible things from the forest._

_Without warning, Link suddenly felt a pair of slender arms gently but aggressively wrap around him from behind. The force of the person who ran up to him made him stumble forward a bit, but he caught himself on the tabletop._

"_You're back," Marin's soothing voice whispered into his ear. "I wasn't sure how long you would be gone this time."_

_All the doubt in his mind disappeared in that moment, and Link blinked rapidly to stop his eyes from watering too intensely._

"_Yeah…I'm back."_

_He hadn't left her with anything to go on after their talk. He'd up and vanished for a handful of days, giving no word of when he expected to return. Things had been like that before, but times had changed since then; there were no dangerous expeditions to take on or monsters to fight anymore._

_She must have worried about him more than he could have predicted. Even if she had somehow found him, his unconscious body probably would have been more fear inducing than the current situation. His heart ached with guilt, yet there was joy coming from within him as well._

"_I…I had to think things over for some time, but after I had spent enough time alone, you were nowhere to be found," she murmured, her face buried between his shoulder blades._

_Link's gaze dropped, falling on the note that Tarin would leave for his daughter every time he would be gone for the day. The guilty feeling washed over the hero again, and he could only give a short response._

"_I'm sorry…"_

_Marin shook her head against him, her warm breaths tickling his back through the fabric of his shirt. "No, you don't have to apologize; I probably would have done the same thing if…if our roles were reversed…"_

_She loosened her grip on his torso, so Link used this opportunity to turn around and face her. Seeing the downtrodden look on her face, he gently raised her chin and pressed their foreheads together._

"_I thought about everything you said," she continued softly. "And even if what you said is the truth, I'm still going to believe that this is all real. You may have recreated all of this, but I know for a fact that I'm the one in control of my own feelings, my own life. No matter what you try to do, Link, you'll never be the one forcing me to be who I am right now."_

"_Marin…"_

_The redhead's arms tightened around his torso again, and Link returned the embrace, circling his arms around her shoulders and upper back._

"_If this is a dream, then it's the best dream I've ever had," she whispered, her lips mere millimeters from his own. "To me, _this_ is the real world, and that place you go to when you're asleep is the dream world. I don't care if you say it's the other way around, Link; this is _my _reality, and being here with you is the truest, most genuine thing that proves I'm alive."_

_He could not utter a single word in response, lost by the power behind her words. Instead of speaking, he simply tightened his grip, pulling her lips into his as her passion filled him with emotions of which he had never felt before._

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

The sun was already high in the sky when Link awoke. He rubbed his eyes and yawned while sitting up, stretching his arms above his head as he did so. Some of his muscles ached, likely due to the awkward position he'd slept in after instantly passing out. The hero's joints cracked as he made funny movements to soothe his soreness.

"Marin," he muttered under his breath, thinking about everything that had happened in his dream. Things had gone much smoother than he thought they would, spectacularly so, in fact.

Enough to make him question the genuineness of it.

Of course, it was still just a dream, so questioning the truth to the situation was more than a little bit silly. It was more about what Marin had said, though, about her reality being different from his, that was causing him to think this way.

He had likely just gotten lost in the heat of the moment, but now that he could think on it clearly, Marin had forgiven him shockingly quickly and without any sort of retaliation towards him. Not only that, but the follow-up after establishing that her reality was that of the dream world was…well, a little more _risqué_ than she usually acted. Not too long ago, the two of them were blushing over the slightest signs of affection in her own home, and now she was suddenly acting like that? To put it bluntly, it all seemed too good to be true, which, in this case, made perfect sense.

"I…wouldn't make her act like that, would I?" Link lightly bit on his cheek in serious thought. "That's not…how I would ever imagine her… Even if she's fake, I would never force–"

"Knock knock," Malon's voice bubbled cheerfully from the doorway. Link tensed in surprise, earning a giggle from her. "Heehee, I guess you were still half asleep, huh?"

It took him a moment to collect himself, and he did his best to repress Marin's actions into the depths of his mind.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so," he chuckled shakily, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry I slept in; I think my body was trying to catch up on all the rest I've been depriving myself of."

"Mm, you _have_ seemed pretty tired the past few days. What have you been doing up so late?"

"Uh, nothing, really. Just…y'know, stuff…"

"Hmm…" Malon narrowed her eyes towards him but reopened them soon after, giving him a lighthearted smile. "Well, whatever, as long as you're up now." As she turned to leave, the redhead looked back over her shoulder and added, "Oh, come to the barn once you're dressed. I'll show you how to milk the cows today!"

He nodded as she turned back around and hurried off.

A frown formed on Link's face as he stood and reached for some clothes he could throw on. Had she noticed anything in that brief moment she seemed to be scrutinizing him? Considering how she responded, she either didn't pick up on his behaviour or brushed it off as nothing. Link hoped it was the former, but knowing that Malon was brighter than she sometimes let on, he couldn't be entirely sure if he'd let his guard down too much.

Regardless, there were more important things to be worried about. The dreamed situation with Marin could not be suppressed to the recesses of Link's mind, and they quickly re-emerged to the forefront. Her uncharacteristic actions, the possibility that his subconscious was going beyond his control, the idea that his carnal desires were beginning to warp his dreams, it was all a mess of unwanted possibilities. He needed a doctor, or better yet, a psychiatrist. Hell, at this point, even a forest-dwelling witch would be better than nothing.

Fortunately enough, Link had more than 'nothing' available to him.

"_If you need to vent for a bit and release your stress, I'll be here to listen whenever you need."_

Malon's words remained clearly in his memory, and more than a handful of times Link considered going to her about this. Talon was also an option, though it was possible that he wouldn't take the discussion seriously, especially if Link were to explain last night's dream. What held him back from going to either of them, though, was his own uncertainty and insecurity. The hero was almost certain that Talon would make some kind of loose connection to Marin and Malon, once again hinting that he should get closer to the auburn-haired rancher. With Malon, however, Link couldn't even guess what direction she might interpret his dreams.

Walking over to the barn and getting right to work, Link's mind was clouded with doubt as he half-listened to Malon's explanation of how to properly milk the cows. At this point, he was not even trying to be discreet about his troubled thoughts. Malon made no comment, but the manner in which she looked at him clearly showed that she had noticed something was afoot.

"Not like that, Link," the redhead chuckled, watching his poor form. "You can't just squeeze the bottom of the udders, you need to pull from the base downwards."

"Oh, sorry," Link replied brainlessly, continuing to do what he had been doing.

Malon sighed and took his hands in hers, which managed to slightly break him from his thoughts. With dulled eyes, he watched as she made him grasp the base of the udders, squeeze more tightly than he had been, and pull down, releasing a fair amount of milk into the bucket below.

"As long as you aren't trying to rip off their udders, you don't have to be overly gentle about this," Malon explained to him. "Did you get any of that?"

He blinked, staring back at her blankly before uttering a simple, "Yeah, I've got it."

Milking the cow properly, Link hardly took any notice of Malon staring at him. She no longer hid any signs of concern, making it very clear from her expression that she knew Link was quite troubled. As he swatted a gnat away from his face, he met Malon's gaze for a brief moment and froze up as they stared at one another.

"Do you…want to take a break, Link?" she asked quietly. "I know we've only been doing this for about an hour, but you don't really seem to be in the right mindset for working right now…"

He shook his head. "No, it wouldn't be fair to stop just because I'm a little out of it. I'll be fine."

Link turned back to start milking the cow, but from the corner of his eye he could still see Malon giving him a hard look. Slowly turning his head to face her again, he began to feel a bit uneasy.

"Is…is something the matter?" she spoke very quietly. "You weren't this out of it on the days you hadn't gotten any sleep. Actually, you were pretty lively before today, and I thought we…were having a lot of fun…"

He took a moment to think over the past sleepless days. His memory was a bit hazy, but he did recall goofing off and spending a lot of time with Malon. Then again, he may have been exaggerating his wakefulness to trick his body into staying awake.

Now he was presented with one of his earlier predicaments: should he tell Malon about his dreams or leave it be? Honestly, he wasn't sure telling her would be the best thing to do, especially since he had told her a little bit about Marin. Especially after last night's dream, Malon could quite possibly get very embarrassed hearing about the lewd events that transpired in his subconscious and start keeping a slight distance from him. The last thing he wanted to do was push her away; there was no one else he could turn to if things got rough.

"Really, don't worry about it," he sighed, settling for not telling her about it. "I've just been feeling kind of nostalgic today for some reason. It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, Mal."

Malon blushed, apparently not expecting Link to have used her nickname. "O-Oh, I see. Sorry, I guess I don't know much about your past. You only told me about that girl you fell in love with before you wound up here. Still, I think you should take a break or something. If you can't concentrate, then you won't be any help, so it'd be faster for Dad and me to handle the chores today."

That was a rather blunt way of putting it, but Link knew that she was right. Deeply exhaling through his nostrils, the blond stood from his stool and quietly headed out of the barn. Stepping into the house, he headed over to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

"Nostalgic…heh, I guess it's not _exactly_ a lie," he chuckled wryly at his poor excuse.

How long could he continue lying to Malon? Time and time again she had made it clear that he could talk to her about whatever was on his mind. He knew she was not judgmental and she was one of the few people he had met in his life that he could honestly say he trusted fully. It hurt him to lie to her and continue pushing away her kindness, for she was more than just the girl he was staying with, she actually meant something to him.

Link could feel his face heat up, and he quickly downed his water and sat down at the table. She didn't mean _that_ much to him, at least not in a romantic sense. He had made the claim once before that she was like a family member to him, more akin to a sister than anything else, but that familial bond was beginning to break, warping itself into something he was all too familiar with. The feeling was warm, soothing, relaxing, and one that he treasured more than other emotions.

But at the same time, he hated it.

Perhaps hate was too strong of a word, as it implied that he never wanted to experience the feeling ever. However, in this current situation he disliked knowing that what had developed between himself and the redheaded rancher was changing into a different feeling. It was small, and, if anything, it still felt little more than the slightest of affections, but it was enough to make him question his thoughts even further.

Was Malon simply becoming a replacement for Marin? As it seemed right now, he was becoming more and more accepting of the fact that Marin was nothing more than something his subconscious continually recreated each time he went to sleep. He could change her personality with a single thought, rearrange the whole of Koholint, build an entire world in his mind, but doing any of that would amount to nothing in the end. That world would only exist in his head, and there would be absolutely nothing to show for it.

Malon was real, though. She existed in this world of reality, this world where any action he made would have some kind of consequence or result. She had her own thoughts, her own motives, and her own freedom to do as she chose. He never had to worry that he was controlling her like a puppeteer. Whatever the ranch girl did, it was of her own free will.

Link hung his head and propped it up in his hands. He loved Marin as a woman, he liked Malon kind of like a sister; Malon is real, Marin is not. Any way he looked at it, he felt as though he was trying to transfer his feelings for Marin onto Malon. Technically, there was nothing wrong with it, since one of them didn't exist, but Link's morality and conscience kept telling him that it was like cheating. Perhaps the Mabe Village shopkeeper was actually just his conscience keeping him in check…

The front door squeaked open, and Link glanced up to see Malon step in, her forehead glistening with a few sweat beads. She must have been doing something more tiresome than milking.

"Feeling any better?" she asked, sounding a little out of breath.

"Not really," he sighed and slumped down on the tabletop. "The more I think, the worse these feelings seem to get, but I can't focus long enough to do something that'll take my mind off of it."

"Oh, that's too bad," she paused, sitting across from him and twiddling her fingers. "I, um…can't really say I know what you're experiencing. My whole life has been on this ranch, so I don't have many memories I think back on that make me wish I could go back to then."

"What about people? Like your mother?"

"I may have mentioned it before, but I was too young at the time to really even know what was happening when she passed away. My memories from when she was alive are kind of vague: I know I was happy when she was around, but there isn't any specific time that I wish I could return to."

Link stayed silent, unable to think of a response to give. When he thought back on his time on Koholint Island, there were only a few specific moments that he truly missed. His longing to return there was formed because of his love for the people, but there was nothing in particular that he wanted to relive. As long as he could be with Marin, it wouldn't matter.

At the same time, even if there was some kind of magical opportunity to return to Koholint, Link wasn't sure that that was the place he wanted to settle anymore. If possible, he would want to bring Marin back to this land and start a life with her here. There were so many places and things he had yet to see in this land, but…

His wants were now beginning to conflict.

Even if that impossible situation were possible, he could not bring Marin here to Lon Lon Ranch. He had not seen enough of this land to know how he felt about it, but Link knew that he had already become accustomed to the ranch and the surrounding towns. He liked them as much, if not more, than Mabe Village, as everything was relatively close together and there was always something going on. He also cared about Talon and Malon like they were his family, and the mere thought of leaving them left him with a hollow feeling in his chest. He had grown too comfortable in this place.

Of course, this was just a ridiculous hypothetical, one that could not actually happen unless some spellcaster could pull Link's subconscious thoughts into the real world.

"Can I ask you something, Link?" Malon said after those moments of silence.

"Yeah, go ahead," he said plainly.

"Um, well…it's just… Remember when you first got here, how you kept saying that you planned on leaving after you'd repaid us?"

"What about it?"

"I…was thinking about that while working earlier… I know that you decided to stay, but I wanted to know if…you still planned on leaving at some point."

Link took a moment to mull over the question. It was strangely coincidental that she would ask that right after his previous thoughts, but more importantly, he hadn't given that much thought in a while.

"Well…" he began slowly, trying to think of the best way to put it, "I don't know when, but I doubt that I'll end up staying here forever. Before I wound up here in Hyrule I planned on settling down, but that was because…I had Marin…"

There was a silence after Link spoke her name. He had not mentioned Marin since the first day he wound up here and mistook Malon for her. Back then, it was a necessary circumstance that he had to explain to both of the ranchers, but there was never any reason to bring up her name again since.

"Now that I'm on my own," he continued once he'd gathered his resolve, "I'll probably start exploring again. Like I said, though, I have no idea when I plan on leaving, just that I don't think I'll be settling here forever."

"That makes sense," Malon replied understandingly, though the drop in her tone made her seem disappointed. "Sorry, I just… It'll be lonely after you leave. It wouldn't have made much of a difference if you had left within the first couple of weeks, but now that you've been here for a while, well, it'll be hard to see you off."

The warm feeling started buzzing around inside Link's chest, and he gulped as his body tensed up a bit. "Y-Yeah, it'll be hard for me too. I-I'll be sure to stop in if I'm ever close by…but…yeah, I don't know how often that might be…"

Both of them allowed another silence to ensue. Briefly glancing up at her, Link was unable to get a proper read on Malon, only gathering the obvious fact that she would be sad to see him leave in the future. Why had she asked in the first place, though? She couldn't have expected him to say that he planned on staying forever, could he? After all, he was still technically occupying their guest room, and despite helping out on the ranch, Link still felt as though his assistance hardly lightened their workload at all.

Malon muttered something under her breath, which made Link perk up. He wasn't quite able to catch what she said, except for a few words; however, piecing together what would have made sense in the context made him question what he was interpreting it as.

"Did you say something?"

"Eep! I-I mean, no! Nothing, nothing, ehehe, um, wow, I should probably get back to work! I-If you start feeling better, you can ask my dad what he needs you to do!"

Before he had the chance to say anything else, the redhead had already hopped up out of her chair and jogged out the door, leaving him feeling rather lost and just as confused as before she had come inside. Resting his head on the table, Link sighed and tightly shut his eyes. The sound of his heartbeat pounded in his ears, and his body felt hot, almost like he had just finished bathing or working in the sun. Reopening his eyes, the hero looked out the window to see Malon furiously going about her work. He couldn't be sure whether what he'd heard was correct, but, every time Link repeated the muttered words of Malon in his head, the stirring feeling inside of him became more and more aggressive.

With end of one of his breaths, he faintly mumbled the words he'd heard aloud.

"I don't…want you to leave…"

* * *

Took an extra week and a half to get this all done, but I did it! Finally started shifting gears on Link and Malon's relationship too, so I'm happy with what I accomplished :). As for what's going on with Marin, well, you know as much as Link does. He didn't think his subconscious would ever change her, but he has normal feelings and urges like everyone else. Also, make what you will of the 'lewd things' that occurred after they made up. I didn't want to go into detail because, well, even I wasn't sure how far I should make them go. It is a dream, though, so…

Initially, I was going to make the whole chapter on Koholint, or most of it, but it was quite a bit harder to keep going with what I had, and I didn't want another short chapter. Either way, I got to develop Link and Malon a bit, so it turned out okay, especially since they're the ones that need development (considering that Link and Marin already have a relationship).

Thanks to **MadlyPurple, Niki Bogwater, **and **Sylis **for reviewing!

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	10. Don't Let Me Go

Haha, oh how naïve I was to think that going back to school might give me more time to write. That may have been the case in the past, but I seem to keep forgetting that university isn't like high school: I actually have to try to get good grades. You would think that I would know that by now, this being my third year and all, but I'm not as clever as I like to pretend I am… Anyway, sorry for the long wait but school is starting to settle down now so I should be able to start writing more (at least until January).

As a side note about this chapter, I'm loosely using the geography of Ocarina's Hyrule Field as a reference for the part where they're travelling around, meaning it won't be exactly the same as if you were to look at the official map.

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Don't Let Me Go_

"Hunting?"

"Yeah, you're not against killing animals or anything, are you?"

Link raised an eyebrow at Malon as the sarcastic question passed her lips. If he were against killing animals, then a ranch or farm was probably one of the last places he would choose to stay.

"I don't really mind," he answered, shrugging as he leaned back in his chair. "But what made you suddenly want to go out hunting? Wouldn't it be faster to just go into town and buy some game from the butcher?"

The redhead clicked her tongue and waggled her finger as she matter-of-factly stated her point. "Oh, Link, there's no fun in going and buying some day-old meat. Besides, didn't you tell me that you were a pretty good shot with a bow? Now's your chance to show off your skills!"

"I guess, but it's been a really long time since I've used one. Either way, you don't even own a bow," he said. After a short pause, Link furrowed his eyebrows as another realization struck. "Hey, wait a minute. If you don't own a bow, doesn't that mean you've never even gone hunting?!"

Malon giggled a bit, putting on a 'you caught me' smile as she did so. "That's not entirely true. I've shot rocks at rabbits with a slingshot."

"That sounds more like a prank than an actual hunt… Did you ever manage to bring any back?"

"Um…hehe, only two or three."

Link sighed as he slumped forward in his seat. It wasn't any skin off his nose if she was inexperienced, but this idea seemed a bit too contrived for the two of them to pull off successfully. After all, he was no hunting expert; sure, he'd slain monsters with a bow while riding horseback, but it had to have been at least a year since he'd even held a bow, let alone taken something down with one. If he was shooting at something that was giving it's all to run away instead of something that was trying to fight back, chances were that it would be at least twice as hard to shoot effectively.

"B-But we can always go rent one from Kakariko Village!" Malon pleaded. "And even if I don't have any real hunting experience, I still know some good places to find deer and rabbits!"

Again, Link let out a sigh and rested his chin in his palm. There wasn't much of a problem with this, but they would probably have to take a day off of working to possibly come home without anything to show for it.

"Why do you want to do this so badly?" he asked, lazily moving his gaze toward her. "I'm not sure if I've ever seen you get so fired up over something."

Malon's pleading intensity calmed a bit as she sat down beside him. "Well, Dad's birthday is coming up soon, so I wanted to do something that I wouldn't normally be able to do on my own. Buying something at the store wouldn't be as meaningful as actually going out and doing the work myself."

If she'd said that right at the beginning, Link probably would have been able to piece that together for himself.

"It's a nice gesture and all," he began, "but couldn't this all backfire? I mean, for us to go out hunting, we would have to leave all the work here at the ranch for your dad to take care of. Even worse, since neither of us really knows what it takes to hunt properly, we might not be able to come back with anything. If that's the case, then all we'll have ended up doing is giving more work to him."

The redhead deflated, leaving a pang of guilt in Link's chest. As much as she seemed to want to do this, it just didn't seem practical. If she was willing, he wouldn't mind helping her pay for a professional hunter to get them a deer. At least that way they would get what they wanted for sure, and even if the hunter was unsuccessful, they could just get their money back and wouldn't have to push any extra work onto Talon.

"I thought it'd be a nice memory, too," she muttered very quietly. "I mean, you've been here for almost half a year now, but I know you still plan on leaving. I want to make the most of our time together."

Was she guilt-tripping him? He was forced to look away from her as the squeezing feeling in his chest began to overwhelm him. It didn't matter that he wasn't facing her, however, as the very utterance of those words made him recall the time she'd sadly muttered how she didn't want him to leave. It had been about a month and a half since then, but the power behind those words was more than enough to gnaw at his conscience.

"I guess if it's too much trouble, we don't have to do it," she whimpered. "Dad's never complained about the stuff I've done for him in the past, so I doubt he'll start this year. I'm sure he'll still appreciate it if I get him _another_–"

"Okay, okay, I give, we can do it," Link griped and rubbed at his temples. Almost immediately, he was tightly squeezed by Malon's arms.

"Oh, wow, really? You're the best, Link! Thank you so much! I didn't think you'd actually say yes!"

"Yeah, like I had a choice…"

Her only response to his complaints was a sweetly scheming smile and the chuckle of someone who knew exactly how to get their way.

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

Before Link knew it, the scheduled hunting day had arrived, and the two Hylians were making their way down the stairs from Kakariko village. With the freshly rented bow and quiver in her hands, Malon was grinning triumphantly while the man beside her was still brooding over the fact that this could end up being a waste of time and effort.

"Okay, Link!" the redhead stated excitedly as they reached the bottom. "You can take these, and because you're doing the shooting, I'll let you ride on Epona!"

The quiver was hastily thrown over his shoulder and the bow aggressively shoved into his arms. Stumbling back a few steps, Link sighed and shook his head.

"You know, you could've just stayed back with Talon and told me where to go. I still feel bad that we're leaving all of today's work for him."

"Nuh-uh," Malon clicked and hopped up onto her horse. "If I let you go by yourself, there's no way you'd be able to bring a deer back! Epona may be strong, but I don't think she can carry that much weight on her back. That's why I've got this cart attached to Ace."

Link lazily glanced at the pull-cart harnessed to Malon's horse. True, Ace was more muscular than Epona, but last time he checked, Epona had no trouble pulling a full-sized merchant cart behind her, complete with both Malon and Talon sitting in it. Attaching the cart to her instead of Ace would have been no problem at all. Malon just wanted to come along, though he made sure not to say that to her out loud, lest he face whatever she might retaliate with.

With only the slightest of hesitation, the two of them spurred their horses and headed off. The landscape was a blur of green, hills rolling past them under the sunny blue sky. Puffy clouds drifted overhead, and every so often they would pass beneath the shadow of one, quickly emerging on the other side into the warmer air. As far as Link could tell, Malon didn't seem to be leading them in any particular direction, and he wondered if she was really just making an excuse to play around for a day.

After riding across Hyrule Field for about an hour, they stopped at a section of the plains by the river, allowing Epona and Ace to rest and get some water.

"So, do you know where you're going?" Link asked, lazily plucking his fingers on the bowstring. "We've been riding around for a while but I haven't seen a single animal out here besides our horses."

"You're too impatient, you know that?" she chuckled, opening up a map she had earlier marked locations onto. "See we're right here–" she pointed to an X, "and it looks like they aren't hanging around here right now. It might be too early, so we should head closer to Kokiri Forest. They're probably going to start wandering out of there as the day goes on, so now's a good chance to corner them."

"You sound like some kind of war strategist when you say it like that…"

Malon bumped him on the arm and folded the map back up into her pocket. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can head back. You were the one complaining about how we left my dad to work by himself."

"Yeah, and honestly it should be the other way around."

The redhead simply ignored her companion's constant complaints, much to Link's chagrin. The more he argued, the more her bubbly attitude made him feel like a downer by comparison. Regardless of how the hunting turned out today, he already knew that his complaints would be part of today's story. The blond could almost hear Talon guffawing about it now.

Once they'd rested for an ample amount of time, Link and Malon remounted their horses and continued along the river towards Kokiri Forest. As the water began veering off into a lower ravine, the two of them rode away from it and slowed their pace as the forest loomed before them.

Link gazed deeply into the dense woods, noting how close the trees were to one another and trying to gauge how difficult it might be to actually shoot something, let alone see anything. An oversized, hollow log stood before them as the entrance, separating the sunny plains from what looked like the darkness of some kind of sacred or forbidden forest.

"Over here," Malon called to him from a short distance ahead. She had dismounted Ace and was leading him towards a small pond next to the trees. "The woods are too thick for the horses to move effectively, so we'll have to make do without them."

Following her lead, Link dismounted Epona and also led her towards the pond.

"Are you sure we're allowed to go in here?" he asked as they both stood before the log entrance.

"This entrance wouldn't be here if people couldn't go in," Malon responded, though she didn't sound overly sure of herself. "I've been in here a few times, and I'm sure potion makers and herb specialists come here a lot too."

Even if her words didn't sound very reassuring, Link shrugged and took what she said for the truth. It would make sense, after all, and judging from the way the ground looked, it did seem like a relatively well-traveled path. Tightening his grip around the bow, he slowly stepped into the log and led them into the forest.

A bridge greeted them on the other side, and on the far side of the walkway, another oversized log seemed to lead into some kind of clearing. From where they were, he couldn't be completely sure, but it almost looked like there were wooden structures on the other side of the far log. Either way, the only way for them to actually enter the forest would be to go that direction, as the only other way to go was backwards.

"This is…weird," he said as they emerged through the second log.

Before them was what appeared to be a village of sorts, though none of the buildings seemed big enough for anyone taller than a few feet. The grass at their feet seemed undisturbed, which had to mean that this wasn't a common place for people to come. That seemed more than a little odd, considering this was the first place anyone would reach if they were to enter the forest.

"I'd forgotten about this," Malon said quietly, to which Link glanced toward her.

"You know what this place is?"

"Yeah, no need to panic or anything." Her tone was calming, which let him know that he could relax. "It's the village of the Kokiri. They're…kind of like a tribe of people that take care of the forest. Some of the city folk will call them forest children. I guess I can understand why, seeing as they all look like little kids, but it doesn't really make much sense since most of them are older than we are."

"I see." Link gazed around again, but the lack of movement made the little wooden village seem even more eerie. "It's kind of quiet for a village…"

"They're probably hiding from us. I think they only talk to kids, so we should probably get going before we cause them any trouble."

Quickly making their way through the village, Link and Malon crossed through another oversized log and found themselves in a densely wooded area. From what he could tell, Link figured this was their original destination to begin searching for some game.

"So, which direction should we head in, leader?" Link mocked as he notched an arrow to his bow.

"Um…" Malon began, glancing around as if to determine which random direction might prove more fruitful. "I guess…it doesn't really matter?"

The blond sighed and fired off a practice shot. The arrow whizzed through the air and struck a tree about two metres right of where he was aiming. "Tch, I'm out of practice."

Once they'd retrieved the arrow, Malon began leading them in whatever direction she felt like. Now that they were actually in the forest, she didn't seem nearly as bubbly as she had earlier, but perhaps that was because getting too excited would scare their prey away. That or she was realizing that in a forest like this it would be difficult to hunt for anything.

"Not that it's a huge bother," Link said after what felt like an hour of walking, "but you've been clinging pretty closely to me this whole time."

"Huh? O-Oh, sorry," she squeaked, hopping away from his side. "Ehehe, well, I probably should have mentioned this before, but this section of the forest past the village actually has a different name."

Link tilted his head in confusion. "So, there's a different forest inside of Kokiri Forest?"

"Yeah," she spoke quietly. "It's more of a local thing, but everyone calls the inner part of Kokiri Forest the Lost Woods…"

A short, tense pause followed. "Oh good, that doesn't sound ominous at all," Link let out a wry chuckle. "Are we perhaps searching for the fabled Venison of Despair while we're at it?"

"I-It's not funny, Link! P-People really do get lost in here and never come out…"

"Then why did we come here? I mean, if you're afraid, we could have gone to any other place you'd marked on your map."

"Well, you were complaining about how long we might take. I figured that there would be a lot of deer in here, so it might make our hunting faster…"

He wanted to make another quip, but as Link glanced at Malon, he could instantly see that she was truly frightened. Perhaps her fears were a bit unfounded, but scaring her would do no good in this situation, and he wouldn't feel very good doing it, anyway.

"Just stick close to me," he said reassuringly. "You don't need to press right up against my side, but as long as we don't get separated, we should be alright."

"Mm."

Even after hearing the name of this inner wood, Link was feeling okay with the situation they were in. They had only been walking straight since they got here, so if they did take a turn anywhere, he could always mark a tree or something to indicate the path they'd been travelling. In any case, if they did happen to get lost, being alone with Malon wasn't exactly what he'd call a _bad _thing.

The hero shook his head at the thought. That was rather stupid of him to think, considering they would be lost in what was a forest that supposedly consumed uninformed travelers. Besides, right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand. How would he find a deer if his head was clouded with stupid thoughts like being alone with Malon? It wasn't like it would be the first time…

He clapped his cheeks a couple of times, hoping that this train of thought would run off its tracks. Taking another look at his surroundings, it seemed that not much had changed since he had been paying attention. There were trees in every direction, and off in the distance he could spot some clearings, but the forest was otherwise closing them in from all sides.

Some rustling from up ahead caught his ear, and Link was quick to draw an arrow. His right hand firmly gripping the curved wood, he sighed as a group of squirrels scurried up a tree.

"Wow, you were really quick about that," Malon praised as he slackened the bowstring. "If that had been a fox or rabbit, you'd have gotten it no problem!"

"Heh, well, I'm a quick draw but my accuracy could use some work," he mused, thinking back to his practice shot from earlier.

"Maybe, but seeing you do that makes me feel a lot safer if nothing else."

This was somewhat different; usually Malon liked to tease him about his less-than-optimal help on the farm. To have her genuinely praising him for something somehow made him unsure of how to take it. Regardless, Malon seemed to have noticed something and jogged ahead a few steps to check it out.

"Link!" she whisper-shouted to him. "Look, over there!"

Stepping up to where she was, his eyes followed where her finger was pointing. At first, he didn't notice much of anything, but a shift in movement caught his eye before a pair of antlers came into view. As it passed between the trees, he was able to judge its size, though with no comparison it was hard to say if the buck was larger than average or not. In any case, it looked like a decently sized animal, and if he could get closer to it without scaring it off, then they might actually have a chance of getting it.

"I'm going to try sneaking up on it," he muttered to Malon.

"Okay, just try not to step on anything loud. I'll be right behind you."

Nodding in agreement, the hunters stealthily crept towards the unaware creature, watching each step to make sure there were no twigs or dried leaves to crunch beneath their feet. Occasionally, the deer would perk up to something, to which both of them would immediately freeze and hold their breaths until it went back to walking or grazing. It was like some kind of children's game, only there was more at stake in their current situation.

It was a painstakingly long process, but Link was now less than ten metres away from his target. At this range, he was confident that his chances of missing were almost zero. The only thing that could mess up his shot would be a tree intercepting his shot. Silently as he could, the blond reached for an arrow on his back and slowly notched it to his bow. With smooth, expert-like movements, he slowly raised the weapon and gradually pulled the string back. The deer was standing perpendicular to him, exposing more of its body to the shot. As soon as he lined up the arrowhead, it would be over.

However, just as he was about to loose the arrow, the sound of some kind of instrument floated over to them on a gust of wind. The sudden noise must have spooked the deer, as it quickly perked its head and ears up and began running away from it.

"Damn it!" Link grunted as he released the arrow only a moment too late. The projectile flew through the air and sliced along the inside of the creature's back thigh. Letting out a guttural sound, the deer stumbled a bit but was able to continue bounding off.

"Rrgh, c'mon, Malon, we're chasing it!"

"W-Wait, Link!"

Her cry for him to wait was met with deaf ears as the adrenaline now coursed through his body. He was so close to getting it, and it couldn't even run properly now. He wasn't going to let this prey get away so easily.

The trail of blood showed him where to go, and he realized that the animal wasn't all that far ahead of him. Notching another arrow as he ran, Link tried to close the distance between the hurt creature and himself. If he could get this deer now, then he and Malon could return to the ranch before the late afternoon.

The buck veered around a tree and turned in a completely different direction. Link used this to his advantage to close some distance as he cut the corner it had traveled in. He was almost parallel to it, so if he just fired off his arrow while they were running…

_Whizz!_

The arrow cut through the air, perfectly flying between the tree trunks and made contact with the deer. He must have hit a vital spot, as it collapsed to the ground with a growl of sorts.

There was no time to celebrate, however, as Link was unable to slow down in time to avoid tripping over a rather high root. With his attention focused on the deer he'd been running alongside, he'd only paid enough attention to the path in front of him to avoid running into a tree. With a mighty tumble, the bow flew out of his hands and he rolled a few metres forward. Had that been all, he may have escaped with just a few scratches and bruises, but there was more trouble to come.

Hanging onto a thick root, Link glanced down at the chasm beneath him. By no means was it far enough to kill him undoubtedly, but at this distance he would inevitably break a few bones if he were to fall to the bottom. Grunting, he tightened his grip and tried to pull himself up onto the ledge, but to no avail. It seemed that at the speed he was going he'd dislocated his left shoulder as he reflexively grabbed onto the root. Thankfully, he'd gotten his right arm on it soon after, but he was not strong enough to pull his entire weight up onto the ledge with his weaker arm, and the pain in his other shoulder most certainly was not helping.

"Link! Link where are you?!" Malon's voice sounded from somewhere above.

"M-Mal! Help, I'm stuck down here!" he grunted back, doing what he could to keep his grip on the root.

Though it felt like much longer, it was a few minutes before the redhead appeared a short distance up the chasm, but she hastily made her way to where he was.

"O-Omigosh, Link! Give me your free hand, I'll pull you up!"

"I can't," he grunted as he tried to move his left arm the slightest bit. "I think it's dislocated. All the muscles in my shoulder will tear if you pull me up by it."

"Oh gods, o-okay, I'll, um, I'll…I… I'll try and pull you up by this arm, but you'll have to trust that I won't drop you."

His heart was already pounding, and at the rate it was going he might have a heart attack before she could pull him up. This was the only way she'd be able to do it, but it meant putting all his weight into Malon's slender arms while he had no way of helping her carry his weight. He could only nod in agreement, as his grip on the root would get weaker if he hesitated.

"Mal, just promise that if you can't do it, you'll drop me, okay?" he spoke shakily.

"W-What?!" she shouted in disbelief as she readied her hands around his wrist. "No way, Link, I won't let go of you!"

"Listen! If I'm too heavy, then you're just going to get pulled in too! If it's only me, you can go back and get help, understand?"

The redhead bit her lip, her face looking extremely troubled as she gave what he thought was a weak nod. On the count of three, he would release the root and grab onto her wrist while she pulled him up. Link knew she was strong – she was a farmhand, after all – but he wasn't sure that she would be able to do this. Regardless, he had already steeled himself for whatever was about to come, and there weren't any other options.

"Okay, Link, I'm counting. One…two…three!"

Within a second, the redhead used all of her might to heave the blond up by his right arm. At the same time, Link let go of the root and felt his body drop slightly before he was gradually being pulled up. He was almost high enough up to get his fingers onto the ledge, but Malon seemed to be struggling to get him up any farther than that. From what he could see, she must have been doing whatever she could to dig her body into the ground, but it seemed to be in vain.

"Malon, you're slipping!" he shouted, noticing some dirt specks and deadfall begin to tumble from where her body was situated. "Let me go!"

"No, Link!" she grunted, her face turning red as she heaved at his arm. "I-I won't let you fall, I swear! Don't you dare let go of me!"

Her resolve may have been unfaltering, but it seemed hopeless. Link was not even sure that his right arm had the strength to keep holding on even if he wanted to.

"Mal…I'll be fine, just go get help."

"Link, I swear I'll never forgive you! Don't talk like you're dying! Now shut up and hold on!"

With a surprising burst of strength, Link felt his body almost propel upwards until his torso was on the ledge. Without missing a beat, Malon almost aggressively shoved Link's left shoulder back into its socket and she continued pulling him up by his sides. He ignored the searing pain and did what he could to claw at the ground as well.

After getting pulled up all the way and putting a great distance between themselves and the chasm, Link collapsed into a heap against a tree trunk. It wasn't a moment after that he was tightly wrapped in what seemed to be an angry yet relieved embrace.

"Idiot!" her muffled cry sounded from his chest. "I told you to wait back there!"

"S-Sorry," he mumbled, but she didn't seem to be listening.

"Didn't I say this place was called the Lost Woods?! What if I hadn't found you?! What if you fell and I _never_ found you?! Stupid, stupid, stupid! You were the one who wanted to get back so badly! I-I…I… How am I supposed to make a good memory out of this now, Link?!"

"Mal, I–"

"And you wanted me to let you go if you were too heavy? Let myself escape and bring back help to try and find you? Idiot, it's the Lost Woods, we would never be able to find you! I don't care if I would fall with you, I would never, ever let you go, Link!"

Her words became more incomprehensible and muffled as her frantic cries turned to sobs. Link could do nothing but slowly wrap his arms around her back as he tried to comfort her. This was an eye-opening experience for him.

She cared for him, more than he ever would have imagined.

It wasn't just that she would go out of her way to help him out, she was willing to go a step beyond that, even if it meant hurting herself. This was more than the bond he could ever feel from someone he thought of like a sister; this was something that came from someone whose feelings were much more developed. Was it wrong to think about these things right now? Was it wrong to start feeling happy that she would go so far for him?

Was it wrong for him to think that his feelings might even be starting to match her own?

Malon's intention for this little excursion from work was never to secure a gift to give to her father; it was to spend the day with Link. He knew that now, it seemed so much more obvious now. It was hardly even a fleeting thought before, and he felt stupid for not having noticed it as a more prominent reason before.

These right here, laid bare upon his tear-soaked shirt, were Malon's feelings. These true, warm, innocent tears conveyed everything about how she felt about him. They felt nothing like the passionate exchanges he had shared with Marin in his dreams as of late; these were real and conscious emotions.

And because of them, Link could now understand that his own feelings for Malon were not simply borne of his longing for Marin. These budding emotions and his want to grow closer to the girl before him were true feelings for her and no one else.

"Malon," he spoke softly when she seemed to have settled down. "I…I'm sorry."

There was so much more that he wanted to say, but the only words he could form were words of apology. Over and over again, he whispered them to her, holding her slender figure in his arms. She didn't stop him, so he didn't stop. They simply remained as they were, feeling the emotions of one another conveyed through the most simplistic of means.

It could have been a long time, or maybe it hadn't been much time at all, but eventually Malon stirred from her position and released Link from her grip, prompting him to do the same.

"Let's head back," she said with a single sniffle before a smile formed itself on her face. "This deer isn't going to drag itself back out of the woods."

It took him a moment to process her change in mood, but he soon felt the atmosphere lighten up. As he hopped to his feet, he watched as Malon stooped to pick up the bow he'd dropped earlier. She turned around and slowly stepped towards him, placing it in his hands.

"And, Link," she said while her hands were still on the wooden frame.

"What is it?"

She paused, seeming to hesitate. Her large blue irises turned away from him before she slowly shut her eyes to speak. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but at this proximity, he heard her loud and clear.

"Just now, um…thanks for staying with me."

* * *

Ah, there's a good-length chapter! I got stuck after writing the first part where they were just talking about going hunting, but then I think the rest came out pretty well. Also the ending part. Hopefully that didn't seem to happen too quickly; I was itching to write some fluff and I thought that now would be the best time to start developing their relationship beyond the slightly hinted feelings they've had this whole time.

No reviews? :( I know there wasn't a lot going on that last chapter but there was a two-month gap for someone to at least say something. Ah well, I'll see how things go from here. Now, this isn't meant as a threat, but if the popularity for this wanes enough I might put the story on hiatus. I'm not saying that so that tons of people start reviewing; it's more like life is getting busy, so I don't know how often I can update my stories, in which case I'll only stick with the ones that have an active following and pick up the less popular ones later on. I still have my plot laid out for this, so it'll get finished eventually.

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	11. Severed Link

I always forget how busy this time of year gets. Not for me particularly, since I always seem to end up with a lot of free time, but for everyone else. Not that it's helped my update rate any, but let's not focus on that :). Anyway, hopefully everyone's enjoying their break before everything starts up again in January!

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Severed Link_

"Hey, Link, heads up! …Link? Watch where you're going! Link, look out!"

_Thunk!_

Link dropped the wheelbarrow in his hands as his forehead collided with something rather solid. Returning to his senses, he could now see the lowered sign swaying quite intensely while Talon fumbled with the ropes on the arch.

"You awake now, kid?" the older rancher asked, descending the ladder once the sign had steadied itself. "I told you I was replacin' the ropes on the sign today. What were you lookin' so dazed over that you didn't even notice the big block o' wood hangin' right in front of your face?"

Link's eyes darted to where Malon was standing in the corral, but he quickly averted them to avoid Talon's suspicions. "N-Nowhere, I just got lost in thought was all."

"Work first, think later," Talon chuckled as he climbed back up the ladder.

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind…"

The blond made sure to duck under the sign this time as he continued rolling the wheelbarrow into the corral. Almost immediately, however, his eyes managed to wander over to where Malon was brushing down one of the horses. Had he not been somewhat aware of his surroundings this time, he would have crashed right into a support pillar in the stables.

For whatever reason, Link found his attention drifting towards the redhead more and more as of late. It had been about a week since the incident in the Lost Woods, and he found that he was becoming more drawn to her as time went by. The simple explanation would be that his feelings for her had developed, yet he felt as though that was not the case. That small infatuation he held for her still felt the same as it always had, and the way he was acting now seemed as though he was more intrigued by her as opposed to feeling more attracted to her.

As he filled the wheelbarrow with dirty hay from the stables, Link ignored Talon's advice and lost himself in thought while he worked.

"_I don't care if I would fall with you, I would never, ever let you go, Link!"_

Those words echoed inside his head as he stole yet another glance towards the female rancher. She spotted his gaze this time and casually waved, to which he quickly pretended he hadn't been looking and went back to his work.

Ever since that day, he hadn't been quite sure how to act around her. There wasn't any particular reason he should change his ways, but something seemed different now. She seemed to be acting the same way she always had been, but perhaps he only felt differently now because he had been oblivious to her feelings beforehand. In that case, it wasn't Malon that had changed, but him.

Yes, that was right. Her feelings had been there before, which is why her personality seemed more or less the same as always. The only difference now was that he was aware and that his mentality had shifted a bit. It would be unfair to say that he didn't like her as well, especially now that he was consciously aware that he wanted to like her more, but it felt as though something was preventing him from moving forward with his feelings.

"Maybe I still haven't moved on from that place," he muttered to himself.

It was rational to think that way; after all, he had only just returned from Koholint a few months ago. Link had considered this many times, and the thought was frustrating. It wasn't just that he hadn't moved on; the dreams must be some kind of indication that he had never left on some kind of psychological level. Perhaps he had tricked himself into thinking he was happy here because it was so similar to how life was on that fake island: as if the Wind Fish had simply transplanted its dream onto a solid landmass instead of an island in the middle of the ocean.

Maybe that was what it had initially been: a gift from the Wind Fish. When he thought of it that way, it seemed reasonable that the easiest way to transition back into the real world would be to experience a real life that was much like his life on the island.

Such a situation raised its own questions though. Did the Wind Fish purposely place him in a home that was unnervingly similar to the one in Mabe Village? Was this meant to act as both an apology for involving him and thanks for freeing it from its nightmare? More importantly, if all of this was the case, was Link still being manipulated by the Wind Fish, or was he in control of his own fate now that he had truly awoken in the real world?

The hero tightened his grip on the pitchfork until his knuckles and fingertips turned white. Too much had happened and there were no answers anywhere. Why couldn't he experience emotions normally? What were these disappearing marks on his arms? Who was pulling the strings right now?

Why couldn't things have stayed the way they were?

"Your wheelbarrow looks a little full there."

Link jumped in surprise, only just noticing now that Malon was standing a short distance away from him. The redhead giggled at his animated expression and gestured to the overflowing wheelbarrow with a tilt of her head.

"O-Oh, guess I got too into my work," he chuckled, leaning the pitchfork against a pillar and stepping towards her.

"Heehee, that sounds like a first," she laughed, walking with him as he wheeled out of the stable. "Actually, you've been acting pretty dazed for the past few days now."

Link silently gulped but managed to play off his expressions somewhat naturally. "H-Have I? Heh, I guess I've been too dazed to notice I was somewhere else."

"That's a funny thing to say. I'm wondering if you might have hit your head when you took that tumble." Her voice kept its usual upward lilt, but she did seem to be serious about her concern. "Do you think you should see a doctor?"

"Huh? No, no, I definitely didn't hurt anything except my shoulder, and it's fine now." He rolled his left shoulder around to emphasize this point. "Besides, even if I did hurt my head, I doubt they'd tell me to do anything other than get some more sleep than I usually would."

"I guess so."

Remembering to duck under the sign this time, Link stopped at the empty cart outside the corral so he could load the hay into it. Though it wasn't visibly noticeable, he could feel his hands shaking as he hoisted the hay from the wheelbarrow. It wasn't heavy, but the shaking would not stop as Malon stayed close by to him. He did not have the gall to ask her to leave him alone, but this unease he felt around her was more than a little uncomfortable. At this rate, he would probably drop more hay on the ground than he could get into the cart.

It struck him that this was happening out of the blue, however. He didn't feel anxious around Malon, nor had he reacted this way towards her for the past few days. Where was this shaking coming from? Was it possible that he was feeling anxious without realizing it himself? That didn't seem very likely; however, with the way his body was acting, it wasn't something he could simply rule out.

Managing to get most of the hay into the cart, he started to head back towards the stables, unsure how to feel as Malon accompanied him again.

"Supervising my work now?" he said jokingly.

"Haha, you could say that," she laughed. "It's more to make sure you don't fall into a daze and mess up again."

"I wouldn't say that overfilling a wheelbarrow is the worst thing in the world."

"True, but I don't know if I fully trust you with a pitchfork while your head is somewhere else. I mean, you _did_ manage to break three of your fingers with a hammer, and you weren't even dazed back then."

"H-Hey, that was back when I first got here…sort of."

Malon laughed, and he also managed to force a chuckle out as well, but Link inwardly sighed as she grabbed a nearby shovel and helped him out. This would have been a lot easier if she had simply continued grooming the horses.

It felt like ages before the day came to a close, and Link felt more exhausted than usual as he changed out of the sweaty clothes he had been wearing. It was quite the struggle trying to keep his thoughts in check while Malon was around, not to mention that he didn't want to seem like he was acting strange at all. Whether it had worked or not, he had no idea, but the redhead had made no comment of his antics today.

As he always did when changing, Link took the hand mirror and examined the markings on his arms. Lately, the last few on his right arm had shown no sign of fading away; today was no exception. He had already discovered that the rate of their disappearance was inconsistent, but that did not change the oddity of why they did so. It was quite possible that he would wake up tomorrow to find that some or all of them had disappeared as well. Honestly, he wouldn't be surprised, though he still could not help but wonder what might happen when they completely vanished from his body.

"Link, you can use the bath first. I have to help dad with something," Malon called from outside his room.

"Okay, thanks."

Once her footsteps had descended the steps, he stepped out into the hallway, silently making his way into the bathroom where the tub had already been filled with water. Slipping out of his pants, he gratefully lowered himself into the soothing bathwater and leaned his head against the edge. The water was warm like a blanket, and he couldn't help his eyelids from drooping as he splashed the liquid onto his shoulders.

Through the door, Talon and Malon's voices passed through as incomprehensible murmurs. Was it possible they were discussing Link's work ethic from these past few days? This wasn't exactly a regular job, and considering how close the three of them had gotten he didn't see himself getting fired and kicked out. Still, he couldn't help thinking that they were talking about him. Perhaps it was due to his fatigued mind.

"I bet the old man is teasing her," Link mumbled to himself. "Probably telling her that I've been too dazed because she's been on my mind."

After a couple of seconds, Link realized what he had just said and slowly dunked his head under the water, resurfacing just as slowly. The fact of the matter was that she _had_ been on his mind, and that was probably fifty percent of the reason why he was getting so distracted all the time. If only that hunting trip hadn't happened, then he wouldn't be feeling so unsure of everything right now.

He yawned and shook his head, expelling that thought from his head. Despite the trouble that hunting trip had caused him lately, he really felt that it had done more good than bad, even if he wasn't aware of what that good was at present. If nothing else, he felt closer to Malon than he had before the incident. Of course, with all the secondary thoughts that seemed to rush around his head throughout the day, it wouldn't appear like that on the surface, but he really believed that he knew her more as a person, and that was comforting.

Link struggled to keep his eyes open as the steam put the bathroom into a dreamlike state. Finally giving way to his brain's fatigue, he allowed his eyelids to droop shut and sighed as he leaned his head back.

"I don't know…if I can keep working like this…"

With those words passing his lips, the blond fell into a comfortable sleep.

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

_Link slowly opened one eye as his consciousness entered his dream body. The sun was rising on the horizon, and the sound of rolling waves was soothing. Managing to get both eyes open, he peered around the unfamiliar room, spotting his and Marin's clothing on the ground beside the bed._

_That was right, they weren't at Marin and Tarin's home, but in a hidden seaside shack they had been…_using_ for a while now. Link moved to sit up, but as the morning sea air met his bare back, he immediately shuddered and flopped back down, taking comfort in the warmth provided by the blanket and the redhead beside him. He turned to face Marin, smiling at the sight of her lovely face while also finding some amusement in the fact that she had somehow managed to keep the orchid in her hair while asleep._

_She shifted slightly, and her hair covered a sizeable portion of her face. Link gently reached up to brush the red strands away, but pulled his hand away in shock when he started doing so._

_For a moment, as he moved her hair from her face, he could have sworn he saw not Marin's face, but Malon's. It had to have been a trick of his eyes; Malon couldn't possibly exist in this place, could she? Well, it wasn't entirely impossible. It was a dream, after all, and whatever he imagined would manifest itself here if he willed it hard enough._

_The redhead began to stir, and Link was fearful that the face of the girl next to him would not be Marin's. When she brushed her own hair away, however, he let out a sigh of relief as the familiar island girl opened her bright eyes to him._

"_Morning," she said drowsily, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "What's wrong? You look kind of spooked."_

"_H-Huh? Oh, it's nothing," he sputtered and held her closer. "Just my eyes playing tricks on me early in the morning."_

_She giggled lazily and cuddled closely to Link, pressing their bare bodies against each other. The warmth from her body was comforting, feeling almost as genuine as a real source of warmth. He didn't want to think of it as a false warmth, but it was impossible not to realize that this was all in his head._

_No matter how many times he came here, Link always had to force himself to remember that this place no longer existed. Everything that happened here was merely something he wanted to happen, including these intimate meetings with Marin. Despite knowing these things, he felt as though some part of him could not simply roll over and accept that. Perhaps that was why the details of this place were so vivid or why every sensation he experienced was exactly like it would be in reality. His love of the island, the community, and Marin most of all were keeping him from truly believing that this place did not exist, regardless of the proof he had seen when he awoke in the middle of the ocean._

_Steeling himself for the cool air, Link sat up and reached for his clothes._

"_I'm going to go for a walk," he said._

"_Okay, hurry back," she responded sleepily, lightly squeezing his hand before she rolled over and went back to sleep._

_With his boots securely on his feet, he stood and glanced down at Marin once more before stepping out of the small shack._

_The brisk, sea air greeted Link as he walked down the beach. Gulls screeched overhead, and the salt particles in the air clung to the exposed bits of his skin. As he walked through the wake, his footprints were washed away with each subsequent wave that surged up the beach._

_He continued following the coastline for a while until he rounded a cliff, hiding the seaside shack from his vision. This was where he needed to be right now, alone where he could think without any form of distractions. The hero spotted a long piece of driftwood and carelessly laid himself down on it, allowing the morning sun's warmth to caress his body._

_Why had he seen Malon's face when he brushed Marin's hair away? It was only for a very brief moment, but the very idea that he pictured someone else was enough to scare him. Sure, crazy things were bound to happen in dreams, but Link had yet to experience anything questionably abnormal about this place so far._

_The main concern, he surmised, was that it wasn't just any random face that he saw, but Malon's. When this whole situation began, he was afraid that Malon was simply becoming a replacement for Marin and that his small feelings for the ranch girl were borne of his longing for the island girl. If that were true, then why was he now seeing Malon's face on Marin? Was it possible that he had unknowingly begun to see Malon in a more romantic light than Marin?_

_Link chuckled wryly at the thought. There was no way that could be true; after all, the things he'd been doing in his dreams spoke volumes about how he felt for the island redhead. To even suggest that he might prefer the rancher to Marin was absurd; it had to be! It had to be. It had…to be…_

_Did it really have to be?_

_Regardless of how absurd the comparisons between a silly crush and sexual relations were, one girl was real while the other was not. It was a simple fact, one that he never forgot, and the absurdity of liking the crush more than the one he slept with regularly became less and less as he thought on it more. How could he possibly like a fake girl more than a real one, after all? He couldn't spend his life with someone that didn't exist; he would be put in an asylum if he tried to._

_Something hit him in the cheek, causing a sharp pain that broke him from his train of thought. Sitting up and rubbing the spot, he looked over to see a baby octorok facing him while preparing to shoot another pebble. Instead of shooing it away or moving to strike it down, Link beckoned it over and scooped it up in his hands. Tickling its belly, the small monster shuddered and dropped the stones it had been stockpiling inside of it._

"_Heh, now you're just a helpless little beast," he chuckled, turning the creature around so that they were facing each other. It wiggled its legs like it was trying to escape, but stopped when it realized that struggling would be futile. "I wonder which one of us is more helpless though…"_

_Link placed the octorok down on his lap, watching as it sniffed around at his body and crawled up onto his shoulder. It was pathetic that he could compare himself to a baby monster, but there was no denying that he was equally as helpless as it was, if not even more so. After all, if this thing got bored with him, it could scurry off whenever it felt like, or even stockpile the pebbles it had dropped and attack him again. He would like to think that it wouldn't do so, but monsters were monsters, even if they acted harmless like this baby was right now. The point, though, was that it could get out of this situation whenever it so desired; he did not have such a luxury._

_As he lied back down, the small, red creature scurried onto his stomach and nestled itself into the fabric of his tunic. Link shut his eyes again, wondering just how long he would be forced to suffer through these ordeals. Then again, he could not truly consider what he was going through to be pure suffering. It was more akin to mental exhaustion than suffering, as he still found pleasure in living his real life and this dream life._

_After brooding over his situation for what seemed like a while, Link finally sat up and prepared to head back. The octorok climbed up onto his head as he stood, so he allowed it to do what it wanted rather than putting it back on the ground. If nothing else, he had something to talk to while he was stuck in this dream world. Well, not exactly talk _to_ so much as talk _at.

"_I'm back," he said as he re-entered the shack. "And I brought something back with me… More like it followed me, but it doesn't really matter."_

"_Ooh, it's so cute!" Marin squealed, now fully clothed. She hurried over to where he was and plucked the quadrupedal creature from his head, smothering it like some kind of doll._

_Link smirked sympathetically at the octorok as it tried to squirm out of her grip. Stepping past the over-enthused redhead, he sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his hair. With the way Marin acted, it was no wonder he was having a hard time accepting the falsity of Koholint. She seemed so real, so much like herself…_

"_Too bad we can't bring him back home," Marin said, placing the monster on the ground and watching as it scurried under the bed for safety. "I doubt Dad would approve too much of us bringing a monster into the house."_

"_Heh, and the neighbours having a Chain Chomp as a pet is all right?"_

"_Heehee, well, it's not like it's _our_ pet."_

_Link chuckled and looked up, but felt his breath catch in his throat as he saw Malon standing where Marin should have been. His eyes widened and he choked on seemingly nothing as the air that should have exhaled naturally was forced out._

"_Hey, are you okay?" she asked in a mildly concerned tone, stepping towards him._

"_N-No, get back!"_

"_Huh? Link, what's wrong?"_

_What was going on? Why was Malon here instead of Marin? There was no way his eyes were playing tricks on him again, right? Even if they were, it should have only lasted for a split second at most! Why was this image of the ranch girl persisting? Where was Marin?_

"_Link? Link! What's going on?!"_

_He could hardly focus on the situation he was in. The air around him seemed to blur as thoughts raced through his head._

"_I-Impossible…" he muttered shakily. "I-It's impossible. She can't…be here."_

"_Link, snap out of it!" the redhead cried as she shook him by his shoulders._

_The more she touched and interacted with him, the more clearly he could see that it wasn't Marin standing in front of him. It sounded like her voice, but it was coming from Malon's body. There was no flower in her hair, her dress wasn't that simple light blue one-piece that she always wore, and her eyes were that deep aqua colour he had become increasingly fond of; only now he wasn't too pleased to see them._

"_What…what is this? What's happening to me?"_

_He could see her mouth moving rapidly, but her cries soon started to drown out until he was deaf to anything she was saying. It was like his weary mind was finally beginning to reject Koholint, truly acknowledging it for what it was. Was he going to find his peace with that now? Would he finally be able to experience real life without feeling regret and longing for this place?_

_No, he couldn't._

_It didn't matter that this place no longer existed. It didn't matter that these people didn't exist. He wanted to continue being here. He wanted to keep on seeing Marin every time he fell asleep, continue holding her when she was near, never let go of the false memories he had created in his head._

"_No… Marin, come back! Come–"_

Smack!

_The world screeched to a halt, and the only sounds to accompany the sound of the waves was the heavy breathing of both young adults. Link's hand trembled as he slowly reached up to his cheek. It was warm from where she had slapped him, and she must have hit him pretty hard, as he was facing in the direction her hand had made its collision with his face. Fearfully, the blond began to turn his head at an agonizingly slow pace. Whom would he see when he faced forward again?_

"_Are you calmed down now?" Marin's voice sounded clearly in his ears. Link blinked a few times to focus as clearly as he could, feeling his heart rate slow to normal when he could register that it was Marin, not Malon, standing before him._

"_Y-Yeah…" he spoke dryly, using saliva to moisten the inside of his mouth._

_Marin sighed in what seemed like a mixture of relief and annoyance. "Geez, don't scare me like that. I don't think I've ever seen you get so hysterical before."_

_He slouched over and leaned his head against his palm. Marin gently rubbed his shoulder as he tried to figure out what just happened. Why had that scared him so much? It was a dream. He had already gone over this earlier; weird things were bound to happen in dreams, even if they hadn't since this all began. To act the way he just did…it was more than just crazy. He felt humiliated._

"_Sorry," he mumbled softly. "I-I think I should be alone for a while."_

"_Mm." Marin stopped rubbing his shoulder and reached into her dress pocket momentarily. Pulling out a handkerchief, she placed it in his free hand and tilted his chin up to look at her. "Come to the house when you're feeling better, okay? Sorry about smacking you so hard. I accidentally cut you with my ring, so you can use this to stop the bleeding for now."_

_With a quick peck on his forehead, the redhead stepped quickly towards the doorway. She gave him one last worried glance before exiting the shack and heading off towards her home._

_Link sighed and lightly touched the handkerchief to the part of his face that still stung. As he pulled it off, he could see that she did, indeed, cut his face. While the bleeding didn't seem to be severe, there was enough that some droplets had run down his cheek. Knowing that, she must have put all her strength into that wake-up slap._

_A soft pattering sound came from beneath the bed, and the baby octorok scurried out to look up at Link._

"_Sorry, little guy," he said, dropping his hand down to pat its head. "That must've been pretty stressful."_

"…Link…"

_The blond blinked rapidly, thinking he had heard his name called. There was no way the monster had said his name, and he didn't think anyone knew about this place except for Marin and himself._

"…Link…!"

_Was it possible that Marin had forgotten something? From a quick glance around the small room, it didn't look like she could have. As he stood to see if she was coming back, he suddenly felt lightheaded and had to seat himself back on the bed._

"…Link!"

_Lightheadedness quickly turned to dizziness, and Link began to sway to and fro from how woozy he was beginning to feel. It was still early in the morning, and after a stressful situation like that going back to sleep sounded like a great idea. All he would have to do is fall over and rest on the bed. Yes, that sounded ideal._

"Link!"

…

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

"Link! Link, wake up!"

The blond opened his eyes, but found that he couldn't breathe. Sputtering for air, he coughed up some warm water and gulped in as much oxygen as he could fill his lungs with.

"I knew you were tired, but I didn't think you would actually pass out in the bathtub."

The hero still hadn't fully gotten his bearings, so it took a moment before he registered that he was back in the bathtub at Lon Lon Ranch. Leaning on the side with her sleeves rolled up and forearms drenched, Malon was giving him a questioning look.

"Sorry to make you worry," he muttered. "H-How long was I out?"

"I don't know, but I came to check on you since you'd been in here for a long time." She paused a moment and turned away from him with a slightly pink hue on her cheeks. "D-Don't worry, I didn't see anything below your chest. I kind of rushed in when you didn't respond to me and you were already starting to drop into the water."

"O-Oh, um…that's good… Thanks."

They were both silent for a bit, not sure exactly what to say to the other but also feeling as though something should be said. Seeing Malon so suddenly right now, especially after what happened with Marin in his dream, made it hard for Link to feel any sort of comfort in this situation, not to mention the fact that he was naked while the girl who had saved him once was now leaning over his bath water.

_Drip._

The single noise led to Malon turning back to face him, only for her eyes to widen in surprise. Link didn't like that look, but couldn't be sure of what she was staring at.

"Omigosh, I must have been too busy trying to wake you up before, but I didn't even notice the gash on your face. Are you all right, Link?"

Gash? Why would he have a cut on his face? He had just been looking in a mirror before he got in the bath and there was nothing on his face. Heck, there wasn't even anything sharp in his immediate vicinity. How could he possibly have–

_Drip._

This second drip caused ripples in the water, to which the blond looked down at. He inhaled sharply as the sight of crimson dispersing itself into the water before it vanished. Another drip that he clearly saw this time showed a thick, red substance hit the water and disperse as the drip before it had.

"How…" he whispered and reached up to his cheek. The spot stung as his fingertips met it, and he pulled his hand away to reveal a sticky red substance on the surface of his fingertips.

"I-I'll get you a bandage," Malon said, quickly running off. Link was too stunned to even pay her any attention.

"This is…the exact spot I got cut in the dream…"

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

Link leaned on the fence, peering out onto the plains as the late morning sun basked the rolling hills in its radiance. Last night's rest had been nothing short of uncomfortable and troubled, and things didn't seem to go much better in his dream either. Marin had been concerned about him, but he somewhat ineffectively managed to play it off like it was nothing. The first thing he had done upon waking up this morning was checking beneath the bandage to see if the gash was still there: unsurprisingly, it was.

The wind tousled his hair, and though he knew he should have been getting to work, Link couldn't get himself motivated. After everything he had been going through these past few days, he doubted anyone could blame him. If only he could talk about it…

"Link?"

The blond lazily glanced over his shoulder, tensing as he saw what looked like Marin approaching him. It only took a moment to realize that Malon had simply adorned her hair with a flower, though that did little to help ease the tension he felt.

"I know, I'll get to work soon," he said, turning to gaze back out at the fields.

"It's not that," she said a bit meekly. "I just…wanted to check on you was all. You've been acting weird lately, but I wasn't really worried until I saw how you were yesterday night. Are you feeling okay?"

Link opted not to turn towards her, instead keeping himself faced away. "I…wouldn't exactly say I'm fine, but it's a personal issue. Don't worry too much, I'll get through it; I always do with these things."

"O-Oh…is that so…? You haven't seemed this way since you first got here, so I thought maybe it was something I could help with."

"Believe me, I would have asked you for help if I thought you'd be able to. I–"

His sentence was cut off when he felt a pair of slender arms encircle him from behind. He couldn't exactly crane his neck far enough to see, but it was obvious from the sensation that Malon was embracing him. Her weight leaned gently on his backside, and he could feel his heart slowly pumping faster with each passing moment.

"M-Mal, what are you doing?"

"Link, just…let me stay like this," she said softly, almost forcing him to strain to hear her.

He didn't exactly mind this physical interaction, but it seemed to come out of the blue, and he wasn't sure how much his heart could take right now.

"Ehehe, won't your old man see us though? I'm pinning the blame on you if he notices."

"He left for Hyrule Town a little for a sales trip a while ago and won't be back until tomorrow."

"Oh, I see… Can…can I ask why you suddenly feel the need to hold onto me?"

She paused for a while, and he could feel her warm breath exhale deeply against his back, sending shivers running through his body.

"I…I don't know how else to help," she spoke soothingly. "If there's nothing I can do for you, then this is the only thing I can resort to doing. It isn't making you…uncomfortable, is it?"

"N-No, not at all," he stammered. "I just…um, think you're going pretty far for my sake. You don't have to comfort me every time I feel down."

Her grip tightened around his torso, and Link gulped in anticipation for what she might say.

"I'm not trying to make you feel better because I have to… I-I want to do this. I mean, if you aren't mentally or emotionally stable, then you won't be able to work at full capacity, right? Ehehe…"

Her grip loosened until her arms dropped, but rather than backing away, Link could see from the corner of his eye that she was stepping beside him. She stood next to him, her shoulder barely touching his, and sighed as she placed her hands on the fence.

"No, that was a lie," she said and shook her head. "I want you to feel better because…because I feel better when you aren't depressed or hurting. Whenever you get like this, I can't help but…want to cheer you up. I really love it when you're playing around with me or messing with my dad; it's like you're really living when you're like that, and this is some kind of anchor that's keeping you from living all the time."

That was one way to put it. He might not have worded it in such a poetic manner, but the gist of what she was saying was more or less accurate.

"I really like you a lot, Link," she continued, the conviction in her voice wavering as she did so. "I know you have your own life to live, and I know you don't want to stay here forever, but for now, at least while you're still around, can you let me comfort you? I know it's selfish of me to ask you to smile and be happy all the time, but this is the only real favour I'll ask of you, I promise."

He felt like his heart might explode at any moment, and if he bit down on his lip any harder, he would probably start to bleed. What was this feeling inside of him? It was so familiar, and he feared to think that it was possibly what he was thinking it was. It was so reminiscent of the way Marin made him feel all the time, and yet this had its own unique flavour to it. His stomach was twisting in knots, and he had to scratch his head to stealthily brush away the cold sweat drop that threatened to cascade down his face.

"I'm sorry," she said when he didn't give any kind of verbal response. "Maybe I really am asking for too much. I haven't even known you for that long and I can't possibly know what it is you're going through, so how could I ask you to smile at a time like this?"

Link felt like his chest was dropping as he noticed Malon's gaze fall. If there was one thing he wanted less than to admit what these feelings were, it was to make the recipient of these feelings upset. If he let her walk away on an ending note like that, he wasn't sure that he would be able to forgive himself, and that was a dangerous combination when he mixed in his already-stressed-out mind.

Before she could turn and walk back to the barn, Link firmly grasped onto her smooth, pale hand, gulping down any sense of restraint that screamed at him not to do so. She first looked at his larger hand on top of hers in surprise before turning her attention up to his face.

"I…" he began, doing what he could not to let her blue irises burn into him. "I can't promise you that I'll smile and be happy all the time, but…I'll do what I can…if you comfort me. I-It's usually easier to relax when you're around…"

He didn't exactly feel too relaxed at the moment, but noticing her shocked expression rise into a gentle smile, his insides began to buzz in a tense yet calming manner. At this point it was far more trouble to deny what the feeling inside of him was than to simply accept that this sudden onset of warm, unnerving feelings inside of him were of affection. Try as he might to believe that he could care for anyone in such a way other than Marin, the shivers that coursed through his body were proof enough that Malon had become something much more than a sisterly companion.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end when she turned her hand over and gently interlocked her fingers with his. Finally finding the nerve to face her as well, Link met Malon's deep blue eyes with his own, and found his body strangely at ease when he gazed into them.

"I'll do my best…to help you out, then." Her cheeks flushed slightly, but the smile on her face was more genuine than it had ever seemed before.

"Yeah…me too."

* * *

Whoo, and there is the pseudo confession! I haven't decided if there will ever be an official "I love you" expressing of affections, but the idea here is that they both know how the other is feeling now. Hopefully that came across, and I'm also hoping that nothing in this chapter seemed to happen too quickly. It's easy to forget that writing takes a way longer time to do than reading does, so even though it'll take me, say, between forty minutes to an hour and a half to write a section, it probably only takes twenty minutes **tops** to read that same section over.

I think I was a little too proud of my chapter title on this one though. I wrote it and broke out into laughter over how "genius" I thought it was. Because you thought it meant that the connection between two things was cut, when actually it literally meant Link's face was sliced and that that cut is a clue to finding out what's binding him to his dreams and reality. Hahaha, sooo clever (not really, but that's how I was feeling when I came up with it).

Anyway, as you've probably noticed, I surprised you guys with a double chapter update! Of course, if you're reading this after I've passed this point in the story, then a double feature means nothing to you, but to everyone who is following along, my treat! :D

Thanks to **9tailsfox2, the legend of devi, Black arms Army, Memento Mori, Anytime, **and **The Reflecting Bird** for reviewing! Six reviews is great, really great actually; let's keep it up! :)

Thanks for reading and please review! Unless you'd rather get right to the next chapter, in which case I will not be upset if this chapter gets few reviews (so long as chapter twelve has a decent number).

–_GengaJupite_


	12. Scramble

Ayo, double feature! You guys should feel privileged; I've never done a double update before. I actually started writing this one as chapter eleven, but then I realized that I jumped into Link liking Malon without giving it any buildup after the whole Lost Woods incident. Then I was just going to update it when the next regular update would be, but I figured I already had it done so I might as well post it too.

**Make sure you've read chapter eleven in case you didn't realize that I updated with two chapters!**

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Scramble_

Orange and red faded into a deep violet hue across the skies over Hyrule Field. The top portion of the sun just barely managed to peek over the edge of the horizon, and it would disappear completely within the next few minutes. A breeze drifted along the plains, sweeping the grass and other flora in a wavelike pattern.

Link sighed as the wind rushed past him. Sitting in the tree he had used to occasionally scare Talon, the sight of yellow and brown leaves falling around him made it only more apparent that summer was over. He had arrived here in the late spring, so the change of season hadn't set in during that time; however, because he had been here for all of the summer, this seasonal shift made him realize just how long he had been here.

The blond caught a lazily drifting leaf in his palm and pressed it between his fingers. How long would it be before he finally decided to leave? Would he share a tearful farewell with the ranchers before walking away from this temporary home, or would he simply leave with the hope that not telling them would be the easiest way to transition back to their old ways of life? No matter what he settled on, he knew, and had always known, that the longer he waited the harder it would be on all three of them.

This thought bothered him though, as he knew that deep in his heart he no longer wanted to leave. As Talon had told him time and again, there was no longer any debt to repay, and they were not troubled by the addition of a third person in their household so long as he did his part to help around the ranch. With the property owners expressing their contentedness with him being there, why did he still feel the need to leave?

It was a question that Link often pondered these days. This easygoing lifestyle, these caring people, and this place in general were the perfect place for him to settle down. When Koholint had been real, he planned to settle there, and this place he was in now was not so different from there, other than its locale.

But that may have been the very reason he could not bring himself to stay. He accepted Koholint as nothing more than something dreamt up and he accepted that the people living on it were also make-believe. It mattered not that his dreams continued to conjure up images of the island, because it only solidified his acceptance of its nonexistence. The scar on his face would argue against that, but the logical explanation would be that he had simply scratched his face that night he had fallen asleep in the bath. He was strong enough that his nails could probably do that amount of damage.

The sound of Malon's singing permeated his ears, and he turned his head towards the open window of the kitchen. His chest seemed to squeeze tightly as the pleasing melody floated towards him. The hero could not deny the fact that it was this girl that both kept and prevented him from staying as well.

Ever since that day she had saved him, his feelings for the redheaded rancher had transformed into a feeling he thought he had locked away. Being around her made him uneasy, yet there was a comforting sensation to her presence. The way she talked, laughed, smiled, did anything normal made his insides churn and his head spin. These feelings hit him so hard and unexpectedly that he had to question if he had been hiding them within his closed-off heart until the shattered fragments of what remained could no longer contain the feelings that had accumulated for Malon. He wanted nothing more than to stay here, if only to be with her. She fascinated and captivated him, and this aching feeling within his body made it hard to breathe. With the sudden onset of these feelings, it had certainly been an interesting few months at the ranch and he was fairly certain that she was going through similar symptoms.

It hurt, though. Having these feelings caused him pain, not just because it was uncomfortable to cope with them, but because they made him remember.

The last time Link had experienced such euphoric feelings for another person was Marin. He was willing to give up everything he had to be with her before, abandoning the adventure in his heart to be with the woman he loved. She cared for him unconditionally, and the bond they had formed was still unmatched, even by his current newfound feelings for Malon. Because of this love, the pain he experienced from her being gone was more than he thought he could bear.

He could not decide if what he was experiencing was guilt or sorrowful nostalgia, as it could be either of the two or something completely different. He had locked away his heart with the hope that he could go through the rest of his days without getting attached to anything. Marin had disappeared, and so too did the large chunk of his heart that he had given to her. For these feelings to suddenly return with the life and vigor they had when he still felt whole…it was indescribably amazing and agonizing at the same time.

It came down to a single question now: whom did he care about more? Was it Marin, the literal girl of his dreams, or Malon, girl that restored his heart and gave his life new meaning? Even if he knew the answer, Link still had no idea what that outcome would lead him to from there.

"You look mighty well flustered up there," Talon's voice said from somewhere below. Link looked down to see the man leaning against the base of the tree.

"Usually I'd deny it, but you hit the nail on the head this time," Link sighed as he hopped down to the ground. "My head's all kinds of screwed up right now."

"Heh, don't need to tell me twice, kid," Talon chuckled. "Don't think I haven't noticed the way you've been eyein' my Mal lately. I don't know what happened, but it seems like you finally noticed that she's a real woman."

"You know, it's a little weird to hear her dad saying stuff like that about her."

Talon ignored the remark and continued in a slightly more serious tone. "Listen here, Link. I know I used to joke about the two o' you havin' some kind of kiddie crushes on each other, but now that there's obviously somethin' there I think it's time I got a little more serious."

Link's eyebrow immediately raised itself. "Oh? What exactly does a serious Talon entail?"

Talon did not seem to be joking, however, as he continued on in a more fatherly tone. "I'll say it clearly because I don't want you to think I'm just messing around. Don't go hurting her, Link. If you're really serious about my daughter, then I won't stop you, but I swear if you lead her along on a wild goose chase, I will personally see to it that you don't stay here a second longer. I'm reluctantly taking a step back so that you two don't have to worry about anything getting in the way of whatever you've got going on between you."

The blond blinked in surprise when Talon finished speaking. There was never any doubt that the man cared about his daughter, but to have it all laid out in such a manner was somewhat intimidating. Link had to avert his eyes, unable to match the intensity that Talon looked up at him with.

"I…" he began slowly. "I…don't want to make you mad at me, but the thing is that I don't even know what my own feelings are right now."

"Hah, that's a weak joke, boy!"

"N-No, really, I mean…it must be pretty obvious that I care a lot about Malon, but…"

"But what?"

Link gulped silently and tried to meet Talon's intense gaze. "I'm afraid. The closer I get to her, the more my past starts to resurface. I…don't really want to go into detail, but it's because of that that I don't think I'll be able to stay if things keep developing."

Talon hummed and went deep into thought. Link could only let out a weak sigh as he briefly glanced at the kitchen window again.

"I don't have any advice for you, kid," Talon sighed after a short while. "You've gotta sort out those kinds o' things on your own if you can't tell anyone about them."

"I know, I'm sorry." Link ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'll do what I can not to lead her on. If you so much as suspect that she's going to get hurt, I'll completely understand if you kick me out."

Talon scratched his bald head and let out another sigh. "You know I don't want to do that, Link. Just do what you can before things get out of control."

Patting the taller man on the shoulder, Talon slowly bumbled towards the entrance of the house and went inside. Not wanting to immediately follow him in, Link clambered back up into the tree, watching as a great number of leaves cascaded down from the ruckus he had caused.

Because the window was open, Link could hear Talon call Malon, saying he wanted to talk to her for a bit. It wasn't too hard to guess what her father wanted to discuss, and luckily Malon closed the window so that he wouldn't be able to hear what they were saying. Even if he was curious to know what they might say, it probably wasn't stuff he should hear, and it might even include things that he didn't particularly _want_ to hear either.

A chill breeze blew by, rustling the leaves and sending shivers down Link's spine. He was glad that he was wearing a long-sleeve shirt under his short-sleeve today, as the temperature had taken a somewhat drastic drop since last week. Up until then, the only signs that the season had changed were the increased amount of rainfall and leaf colours. It was almost like the seasons were adjusting to match the changes in his emotions.

He snorted at the very thought. Maybe something like that would happen in his dreams, but not here in the real world. When he thought about it, Koholint was a tropical island, so seasonal changes probably wouldn't be as noticeable as they were here. In fact, he hadn't paid much attention to the climate in his dreams. Why would he? He was too preoccupied with Marin and his ever-growing feelings for Malon to worry about the fictional weather in a dreamt-up world.

Something glinted in the distance, forcing Link to strain his eyes as he tried to spot the source. It seemed odd that something might shine now that the sun had set beyond the horizon. After scanning the plains back and forth a few times, he simply shrugged and relaxed his gaze. It wasn't even a full minute before he noticed the glint again, and this time he had a good idea of where it had shone, but when he looked around the general area it should have been in, nothing appeared. Was it possible he had imagined it twice?

Slowly leaning against the tree, Link kept his focus on the fields but allowed his vision to relax enough that he could make out everything within his peripheral vision. A few leaves floated gracefully in front of him, as if beckoning to break his concentration momentarily. The hero remained stoic as he ignored any sort of distraction. As the skies quickly began to darken, he sighed and decided that it must have been his imagination. However…

While he was midair from jumping down, a golden glint caught his eye, and he was fast enough to see exactly where it was this time. It didn't disappear like it had the other two times, and he quickly ran to the fence to get as close as he could. Unfortunately, it was too far away to see it as anything more than a golden shape on a distant hill, and the horses were already back in their stables for the evening.

He squinted hard to make out some kind of shape for whatever it was, but it was difficult to tell from the way it seemed to emit light, especially as the darkness was quickly setting in. Was it some kind of creature? A giant firefly perhaps? No, not only was that ridiculous, but it wouldn't even be the right time of year for it to be out.

After watching it for a few minutes, the golden thing started to descend the hill it was standing on, moving closer in his direction. It was definitely an animal or monster of some sort, but Link had never seen anything like this…

No, that wasn't true. He recalled seeing something gold running along the fields at night in the summer. It had only happened once, but because it was during a somewhat memorable time – the time he had stayed awake for three days to avoid facing Marin – it still remained in his head. Back then, he had assumed he was simply imagining it, but this time he was surely seeing this golden being heading towards him.

"Link, are you still out here?" Malon called from somewhere behind him.

He almost turned to look at her, but stopped when he realized he might lose sight of this creature again. He was tempted to call back to her as well, but something told him that making any sort of noise might cause the golden thing to disappear. Even if he told Malon to come over and look, he didn't want it to vanish like it had before.

"Link? Hey, Dad, did Link come inside already?"

"Didn't hear 'im if he did."

The creature was close enough that he could now make out its general shape, but he still couldn't see what it was exactly. It also seemed to be wary of the ranchers' voices, as it stopped each time they said something. That further convinced him that saying anything would make it disappear.

"Oh, there you are, Link! Didn't you hear me calling for you?"

Link cursed quietly as the golden creature stopped again. It didn't look like it was going to start moving, and just as he was about to tell her to look out at the fields, an earsplitting wolf's howl attacked his eardrums.

"A-Ah! What the…" Link cried, slapping his palms onto his ears. It did not help, however, as the sound still seemed to break past the barrier he had created.

The loudness of the sound was actually hurting his head, and as hard as he tried to keep his eyes on the creature, he was forced to squeeze his eyes tightly in pain. The howling continued to pierce through his hands, and he eventually crumbled to his knees as his head began to throb. What was this howling? Could a regular wolf really create such a sound? How did it manage to pierce through to his eardrums even with his hands firmly blocking any sound from cutting through?

Just as suddenly as it had began, the sound stopped out of nowhere, leaving an uncomfortable ringing in his ears. Link slowly opened his eyes, unsurprisingly met with the view of a darkened field and no golden creature to be seen. He hadn't noticed at first, but as he stood up he could feel Malon's hands on his shoulders. Slowly removing his hands from his ears, he turned around to meet her worried look.

"L-Let's get you inside," she said in a manner that matched her expression. From the way she was talking, she must have been saying things to him while the wolf was howling, but he wasn't able to hear her at all, despite how close she had been to him.

"You…didn't hear it?" Link asked, finding that the volume of his voice was quiet by comparison to what he had just experienced.

"Hear what, the wolf?" Malon asked, surprising him over the fact that she seemed undeterred by it. "It's not all that uncommon to hear them at nighttime. Didn't you notice them during the summer?"

He gave her a questioning look, receiving an equally puzzled face in return. "Well, of course I heard them during the summer, but none of them were loud enough to make me feel like my head was splitting in two."

The redhead's expression did not change, which confused him even further. "Huh? But it didn't seem any louder than usual," she said flatly. "I was standing right behind you, so there's no way it could have been because you were closer. I doubt a wolf could even howl that loud if you were standing right next to it."

He was about to object, but there wasn't an argument he could come with against that. It was true, after all; even if a wolf had stood right next to him and howled, the only way it could be anywhere near as loud as that had been was if he stuck his ear right against its mouth, and that would still only account for one ear. There was no possible way anything that loud could have directed its sound only at him and at a distance where he wasn't able to see it.

"N-Never mind the howling." He tried to play off the situation before she grew more concerned. "Did you see that golden thing out on the hill?"

She leaned to the side for a moment to glance behind him, but shook her head as she stood straight again. "Is that what you were looking at? I've never heard of any golden animals or monsters before."

He sighed in disappointment, knowing that it had probably vanished before she had a chance to see it. Besides, when he collapsed to his knees she was probably too worried about him to notice anything out on the fields, let alone look out there in the first place. Why was it that these strange things seemed to keep happening to him?

"Let's get back inside," she said sweetly, giving him a pretty smile. "Dinner's almost ready and you seem okay now. Maybe a bug flew into your ears and bit your eardrums right when the wolf started howling. That would make you more sensitive to sounds, right?"

Link couldn't help a smirk from forming on his face as he thought about that possibility. "I'm pretty sure that would just stop me from being able to hear. My ears also wouldn't heal up as soon as the wolf stopped howling, either."

Malon laughed and ran ahead to make sure that the food she had been preparing wasn't getting burnt or overcooked. Glancing over his shoulder at the fields, Link wondered if the golden creature had somehow done that to him. If that were the case, he could be in danger if it tried to approach the ranch again. With no defense against a sonic attack of that caliber, he would have to be prepared to take it down quickly. As he wiped his boots at the doormat, Link fully expected that this would not be the last time he would see that creature.

He was correct.

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

"Achoo! Ah, confound it!"

"Dad, stop trying to get up; you need to rest."

"In all my years o' bein' around animals and wilderness, I've never let a darn cold get me d–…duh…duh…D'ACHOO!"

Link had to cover his mouth to hide his smirk at the sight of Malon holding a red-nosed Talon down to his bed. The old man certainly had spirit, but after he teetered around yesterday and nearly collapsed into the side of the shed, Malon was not going to let him convince her that he was fine.

Turning away from the scene, Link looked out the window, gazing at the frost-covered fields that seemed to shine under the clouded, late afternoon sky. Winter was approaching much faster than he'd anticipated, and it was surprising that none of them had gotten sick up until this point. Then again, there wasn't as much work to do since the animals tended to stay under cover now, which meant that they didn't have to go out into the cold as often.

He accompanied Malon as she headed back downstairs. From the window in the kitchen, he could see the hill where the golden creature had appeared. In fact, not only had it showed up once, it had been at least three times that Link had spotted its golden glow in the exact spot he had seen it the first time. Thankfully, it never let out its monstrous howl, but, try as he might to show Malon or Talon what he was talking about, it would always disappear when they came to look.

He felt Malon rest her head on his shoulder, causing him to look at her. A lump formed in his throat as his chest squeezed again, but he had grown used to this feeling, having experienced it many times over this past season.

There wasn't exactly a label for what Link and Malon's relationship had evolved into. They were certainly not lovers, and it even seemed like too much to think of her as his girlfriend, but they had passed the point of friendship long ago. Such a simple act like leaning her head on his shoulder was still rather uncommon, mostly because there was the fear that Talon would catch them, but he cherished these small moments when they could be somewhat affectionate with each other.

Marin inevitably crept into his mind as he thought about Malon, leaving the hero with a sense of unease. This relationship he shared with Malon still paled in comparison to the island girl, yet the girl in his dreams was nothing more than that. The only thing he could use to think of her as real was the scar on his cheek, but he was still convinced that that was nothing more than a coincidence.

His relaxed expression fell into a frown as he touched the scar. Since that dream, Marin had taken on Malon's appearance almost every time he fell asleep. Most of the time, it was just in short bursts, where she would look like Malon for a few seconds, he would blink, and she would be back to her regular self. There had been a few times when the image persisted, but he had learned to control his emotions and had never panicked when it happened. He seemed to be the only one who ever noticed that it was Malon instead of Marin, so to freak out again would only lead to trouble.

Unfortunately, this image swapping seemed to have an affect on him in the waking world as well. Malon never took on Marin's appearance, but anytime she ever wore something blue or put a flower in her hair, his mind would instantly draw the connection to Marin, and he could feel the same tension in his body that occurred whenever the opposite happened in his sleep. Perhaps this was the guilt associated with cheating, but considering how the situation was, Link's conscience did not seem to think of this as cheating.

Sometimes he wondered, though, not that he tried to imagine lewd situations with Malon: would getting to the same stage in his relationship with Malon that he was in with Marin help him cut ties with the imaginary island? As much as he still cared for Marin and wanted to keep seeing that place, it was damaging his psyche and taking a huge toll on his mental stability. Living two lives like this would cause anyone trouble, and Link really wasn't sure that he could keep it up.

It proved a problem, as choosing one world over the other would determine whether he stayed at Lon Lon Ranch or not. Over these past few months, Link had seriously considered staying at the ranch instead of going off on yet another journey. His feelings for Malon and this relaxing lifestyle were something he had grown used to, and it was a very comfortable way to live. However, if he could not give up on these dreams, then staying would be next to impossible. If he left on another adventure, there would be little to worry about during the day and he could continue having his pretend relationship with the girl in his dreams. It sounded rather pathetic, but his feelings for Marin were strong enough that this was an equally considerable plan.

His right shoulder suddenly felt cold, and he stopped thinking so hard for a moment so that he could see what had caused it.

"Mal? What are you doing?" he asked, watching as she gently rolled the fabric covering his shoulder down.

"I…wanted to check how your arms are doing," she said quietly. "Helping Dad made me remember that you had that weird thing going on with your arms. Last time I saw, you only had a few on your upper arm and now… Hey, look at that, they're all gone."

"What, really?"

"Oh, I mean the ones on your right side are gone." She rolled the fabric back up and did the same thing on the left side. "Yeah, everything on this side is still clear as day."

"Ah, I figured as much," he deadpanned and scratched his head. "The last few markings on my right arm were taking forever to disappear. I wonder if it'll take this long for these ones to go away too."

"Mm, well, as long as they aren't hurting you, I'm happy. Actually, I think they make you look kind of tough, like some sort of battle-hardened warrior with tribal tattoos!"

"Heh, you realize that I actually am a battle-hardened warrior, right?"

Malon giggled and went over to stir the stew she had been cooking for Talon. "Heehee, and now you're just the assistant helper at a ranch. Seems like you've been demoted, Mr. Warrior."

Link could only chuckle, having no comeback to such a statement. Malon turned off the stove and filled a bowl before heading back up the stairs to where Talon was resting. Left alone with his thoughts again, the blond gazed back out at the frost-covered scenery. It would be dark somewhat soon, only further proving just how quickly time had gone by.

His eyes were quick to spot the golden creature as it suddenly appeared on the distant hill. He hardly reacted upon noticing it, knowing that there was nothing he could do about it. While it was uncommon to see the creature appear during the daytime, it would not be the first time it had happened, and it was fairly close to nighttime anyway. Link watched as it slowly made its way closer to the ranch as it always did. Perhaps if he waited long enough without trying to inform anyone, it might actually make it all the way here. …Then again, did he want such a beast to make it here?

It became easier to see as his eyes adjusted and the sky began to darken. It left no trail in the frost behind it, and it moved at a rather slow pace, especially when Link considered how quickly it had run across the fields back in the summer. Was the cold slowing it down? If that were the case, it shouldn't have been hanging around the open plains at nighttime.

After watching it slowly approach for ten or fifteen minutes, Link grew weary of watching and instead filled a bowl of stew for himself. The day was pretty much over, and he figured that Malon would probably spend a good deal of tonight making sure that Talon didn't overexert himself. Knowing that, this large pot was probably all the food she would be able to make.

The sound of wolves howling outside made him tense as he ate, but they were all of a reasonable volume. He still hadn't fully recovered from that time the golden one had howled, as the mere thought of how it pierced his eardrums still caused some pain. He was also still speculating the fact that it had been the golden creature, as he had no way of confirming whether that thing was special or not.

Well, it was definitely special, considering he was the only one that could see it, but that didn't mean it was what caused that noise from before.

Link glanced up from his bowl as the stairs creaked. Malon stepped to the ground floor and gave him a tired-looking smile.

"Sorry to leave you by yourself but Dad's being pretty fussy. I'm going to try and get him to take some medicine but it could be a struggle."

"Don't worry about it." He gave her a reassuring smile as she refilled Talon's bowl. "You should probably eat and go to sleep too once he's settled down. It'd be bad if both of you got sick and I had to take care of everything."

"Hehe, that's for sure."

Joking aside, she sent him a thankful look before heading back upstairs. Link chuckled as he tried to imagine how difficult it would be to make Talon take some medicine. The old man's immune system was his pride, and the idea of having it assisted by a countertop remedy might kill him before the actual illness could.

He could hear the sounds of them arguing about the medicine upstairs, and though he knew he should probably help, Link was fairly certain that getting involved would only make it worse. Talon seemed to get more stubborn whenever he was part of it, so Malon had a better shot at getting the job done without him there.

Once he was done eating, Link stood up to put his bowl in the sink but nearly dropped it as he jumped in shock.

Through the kitchen window, he was met with the sight of the golden creature, now recognizable as a golden, red-eyed wolf, standing at the edge of the fence. Link clenched his teeth tightly, his muscles automatically kicking into battle mode. It had been a long time since he'd had to fight, and he didn't even have a weapon to battle with, but he had to do this regardless. It would be terrible if it attacked the animals, and even worse if it managed to get into the house.

He reached for the largest kitchen knife he could find and quickly made his way outside. The wolf did not move, nor did it even seem to react when he slowly began to close the distance with it. Link kept his breathing normal, though his pounding heart got him ready to make quick movements in case the beast suddenly pounced at him. Oddly enough, he felt no hostility from the creature, but that could have been due to its rather relaxed sitting position.

"_Come."_

The hero hopped back slightly as the voice sounded in his head. Was that his imagination? He had never heard a voice like that before, so it couldn't have been. But where had it come from?

"_Your questions will be answered. Follow me."_

Before he had a chance to question it again, the golden wolf stood, turned around, and suddenly leaped over the fence. Link gasped and ran up to the fence, peering down to see that it was now sitting down there and gazing up at him.

"_Your time is growing short. Make haste."_

Once again, it turned around and began running off into the distance.

"H-Hold on!"

There was too much going on for him to stop and ask questions now. Without a second thought, Link hopped the corral's fence and burst into the stables. As hastily as he could, he led Epona out and hopped on top of her. He didn't have a second to waste, so he immediately spurred her to run, hopping over the corral's fence and speeding out the entrance to the ranch. He would have to think of something to tell Malon later, but right now his goal was to follow that wolf.

The brisk air bit at him as he rushed through it. He hadn't had any time to change into warmer clothes, so it took a great deal of willpower to ignore the cold that bit at his exposed bits of skin. Regardless, the wolf was just a speck in the distance now, so he continued to spur on Epona, knowing full well that it would be colder the faster he traveled.

The wolf always remained in his field of vision, but they didn't seem to be making any ground on it. From what he could tell, it was heading in the direction of Lake Hylia. As expected, it ran towards the descending hills that led to the lake and hopped the fence before disappearing into the canyon-like entrance.

"Come on, girl, we can't lose that thing!" he said as he spurred Epona on again.

The air became even cooler as they got closer to the water, and Link had to slow Epona's pace after they'd jumped the fence leading into the canyon. Passing between the high cliffs, they trotted through until the lake came into view. He used this opportunity to scan the area, but the wolf was nowhere to be seen. Could they have lost it? The only way it could have escaped was if it managed to swim against the river's current, but that didn't seem very likely.

They stopped at the edge of the water and Link hopped off the horse. The moment his feet hit the ground, a strong gust of wind blew the thick clouds away with ease, revealing a bright full moon in the sky. The pale light lit the area up, creating a perfect reflection on the eerily still lake water. Link got into another battle stance as he spotted the golden wolf standing on the moons reflection. This creature was definitely not natural, as the lake's surface was not frozen, and it should have been rippling, especially after that wind gust.

Epona trotted off somewhere, apparently not noticing the wolf as it began stepping towards them. The water's surface remained still with each step that the wolf took, and its brilliant golden radiance reflected on the surface of the water like a mirror. Link tightened his grip on the knife, hoping that he need only incapacitate the creature, as killing such an incredible creature would leave a bad taste in his mouth.

Now only a few metres away from him, the wolf stopped where it was and took on a more aggressive stance. Its fur stood on end, and it looked like it might pounce at him. Taking an attack from a wolf would be bad, so he readied himself to dodge to the side if it did so. It took only a few moments before the beast did exactly that.

However, as its paws left the surface of the undisturbed water, Link's ears were assaulted by the creature's earsplitting howl. Unable to withstand the loudness of the sound, he dropped the knife and crumbled to his knees just as he had before.

"I can't…" he grunted, watching hopelessly as the wolf began to descend upon him. "I can't…fight…back…"

Link's mind suddenly blacked out as the wolf collided with his body, the howling still resonating in his ears as he collapsed to the ground.

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

_A stagnant air filled his lungs as Link gasped and coughed uncontrollably. When he managed to settle down, he fully expected to find himself inside Marin's home in Mabe Village. Instead, the hero was stunned to find that he was in some kind of misty place. The air made it look like he was inside a cloud, and he could make out silhouettes of some sort in the distance, but none were clear enough to distinguish._

_The sound of clanking metal, armour specifically, caught his attention, and Link whirled around to see a person's silhouette approaching from a distance. It was hard to judge how far away it was in this fog, but as the image became clearer, he instinctively reached for the knife._

_The knife, however, was no longer there. In fact, as he looked at the clothing he was wearing, it looked like he was in his travelling clothes again. He could feel the weight of the chainmail beneath his green tunic, and his trusty cap hung lazily down his back. As he patted the hat, the handle of a blade tapped his wrist, and it was like he had reverted back to how he had been before losing most of his gear to the ocean._

_Something was very wrong about this dream._

"You have arrived."

_It was the same voice that spoke to him earlier. Was it the wolf? Link glanced around, but the wolf was nowhere to be seen. It was still just that person approaching him in his full set of armour._

"_Who are you?" he called out aimlessly, unable to pinpoint the direction of the voice._

"Fear not, young Link, for I shall cause you no harm."

_Again, despite the only other person here being the approaching silhouette, the source of the voice seemed to echo from all around. Link frantically looked around but was forced to stop when the contours of the armoured man's body started to become clearer._

"_Where am I? What do you want with me?"_

"Want? I want nothing, for I need nothing. I neither exist nor lack existence. I am here simply because it is where I am able to be."

"_Stop with this cryptic nonsense! Show yourself!"_

_Link regretted his words and shrank back as the fog suddenly cleared. Standing before him was a skeletal warrior, a single red eye in its skull, just like the golden wolf. It wore a thick suit of armour that covered everywhere but the warrior's face. If not for its skinless face, Link would have easily thought this was a regular man in armour. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and shield, readying for the worst._

_The warrior made no unnecessary movements and simply raised its sword to point at Link. Its very presence was intimidating, and though its mouth did not move, the voice that echoed around them clearly resonated from him. With an unfaltering proclamation, the warrior spoke again, sending an icy chill towards Link's heart._

"I am known as the Hero's Shade, and you, Link, are almost out of time."

* * *

FINALLY! I have wanted to write that last bit for so freaking long that I practically exploded when I got to do it.

Yes, there was one more character reveal I had to include and that was the Hero's Shade from Twilight Princess. His reason for being here will all be explained in the next chapter, so if you're wondering what the hell he's doing here, worry not, you'll find out soon enough. Things are going to get better from here as well (I hope), as crazier elements get thrown in with the explanation of the Hero's Shade. For now, just anticipate a lot of questions being answered in the next chapter. I don't really want to spoil anything accidentally, so I'll stop here and let you ponder what will happen for yourselves.

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	13. Sleepless, Dreamless

Well, my update rate is pretty much garbage at this point. School is going to take up a lot of my time and so is my job when the summer starts. Also the VN I'm working on, which is admittedly a little more important to me than my fanfics. I'll try to be somewhat consistent with my updates still, but they'll definitely be more spaced out than what I was doing before (which was already only one chapter every three weeks (which, to be fair, is because I'm writing three at a time, so technically it was one chapter every week)).

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Sleepless, Dreamless_

_Link tensed as the words of the Hero's Shade sank in. He tightened his grip on the hilt of the Master Sword, though he had no intention of fighting unless attacked, which did not seem to be the skeletal warrior's intent. The intimidating warrior did not repeat itself, forcing Link to make the next move._

"_Time?" the blond called back. "What are you talking about? What time am I running out of?"_

_The Hero's Shade did not flinch or show any sign of weakness. After a short pause, the undead warrior slowly lowered its sword. Its ghostly voice echoed around the area once again._

"You bear the marks, do you not?"_ Link sheathed his sword after the skeletal warrior did the same. _"The disappearing language of Aetas has manifested on your flesh."

_Link momentarily glanced to his left arm, making the assumption that the Hero's Shade was referring to the markings on his arms. As of now, the right side of his body was rid of them, and the only ones that remained stretched from his left shoulder blade to his elbow._

"_Who are you?" he demanded. "_What_ are you?"_

_Again, the skeletal warrior showed no sign of amusement or impatience with Link. _"I am but a messenger. I exist only in this space between worlds, drifting eternally as payment for the weakness of my own will."

_That answer was far too vague for Link to understand. He had experienced many phenomena in his lifetime, but he was utterly confused by this whole situation. Though he wanted to ask more questions, he only got the feeling that the Hero's Shade would give him more vague answers. However, standing around like this wasn't going to get him anywhere._

"Have you grown aware," _it spoke before Link could think of something to say, _"of what it is that the markings on your body signify?"

_Link once again glanced at his arm before turning back to the warrior and shaking his head._

"It is known as the secret language of Aetas. It appears on those who have been given a choice to take control of their own destiny."

_Had he not always been in control of his own destiny? For as long as he could remember, Link had been travelling around and going on adventures out of his own free will. Though the experiences on Koholint had been forced upon him by the Wind Fish, he did not feel as though he had been manipulated._

"Over time,"_ the Hero's Shade continued, _"the markings shall disappear from your body, leaving no trace that they had ever existed. When the first half have disappeared, I am sent to give a warning; when they have all disappeared, I will come to claim you."

_Link wasted no time in calling that statement out. "Claim me? You mean you'll kill me when these disappear?! How does that have to do anything with taking control of my own destiny?!"_

_The Hero's Shade hardly reacted to Link's sudden outburst. _"I cannot kill those that exist, for I am no longer within the realm of existence. To claim a soul means to claim one's existence. When the markings cease to remain upon your flesh, you will take my place as the messenger of this eternal space between worlds."

"_That doesn't answer my question! Why is this happening? How can I control my destiny if I know I'll be forced to disappear?! Must I defeat you when the time comes?!"_

_The Hero's Shade did not respond immediately, and the silence that filled the stagnant air sent more chills down Link's spine than the ghostly voice it spoke with. The blond watched as the skeleton's red eye flashed brightly a few times in its socket. It blinked out for a few moments as if the warrior was closing its lidless eyes, but reappeared in the empty socket shortly thereafter._

"I now understand your situation," _it spoke in that same, emotionless voice. _"How pitiful that you were cast into this position without some form of explanation. Very well, I shall do what I can to inform you."

_The skeletal warrior slowly waved its bony arm horizontally in front of its torso. With an unexpected gust of wind, Link covered his face until it stopped. Looking up from behind his arm, the strange, misty place they had been in had suddenly been replaced by the familiar scenery of Koholint. Gulls screeched above them, and the ocean waves crashed gently along the sand._

"This is the world you once inhabited," _the ghostly voice still managed to echo from all around him. With another wave of its arm, Link watched as the scenery morphed into the rolling green hills of Hyrule Field. _"And this is the world you find yourself in at present. Two separate worlds that you have inexplicably been able to traverse between simultaneously."

_Though he was surprised to discover that the Hero's Shade knew that, Link knew it would only be a waste of time to ask how it had found that out. Instead, he nodded in affirmation._

"_That doesn't tell me much," he spoke firmly. "Koholint only appears in my dreams. The real world is in Hyrule, and the real people are Talon and Malon."_

"An expected and rational assumption. However, I must ask, why is it that you have come to believe that the land of Koholint is not the real world?"

_Link took a step back in surprise. What kind of question was that? Koholint disappeared when the Wind Fish woke up; of course it wasn't the real world! He awoke to the debris of his destroyed ship in the middle of the ocean. That had happened in the real world before Koholint, so how could it be real?_

_Rather than questioning it so blatantly, Link stayed wary of the logic of the skeletal warrior. It did not seem to have any reason to lie to him, which meant that the blond could approach this more calmly._

"_Well, it only appears when I fall asleep. That should be reason enough to think of it as a dream."_

"Yet you also fall asleep in that world, only to wake up in what you believe to be the real world. Did it not occur to you that perhaps your thought process was reversed?"

_Link was taken aback again, but the Hero's Shade only waited for a moment before continuing this time._

"Do not dwell on such a matter, for this situation is but a falsity. The idea of a true world does not exist; all worlds are real. Just as there is the parallel Dark World and the hidden Realm of Twilight, so too exist the Realm of Dreams and the Light World. As I have come to understand, you, Link, have the ability to traverse between the latter two."

_His shock from before still had not fully worn off, so to be struck with another statement that was equally as surprising forced Link to take a few moments to find his composure. Standing straight, he did what he could to keep his voice steady._

"_Assuming you're telling me the truth, how could something like this even happen? That Dream World or whatever wasn't even a real thing; it was just something that the Wind Fish created on its own."_

_For the first time, the skeletal warrior seemed to show some form of amusement, though only through its spoken words as opposed to any change in its manner of speech. _"You seem to forget that gods exist only to create and govern over that which they have created; the Realm of Dreams is no exception. However, for a mortal to have free passage between worlds is an extremely rare occurrence, one that happens mostly by mistake and without the knowledge of the instigator, which, in your case, is the Wind Fish.

"Though many religions suggest otherwise, gods are not perfect beings. The mere idea behind a god only applies when compared against the powerlessness of mortal creatures. When a human or other sentient being comes into contact with a god, there are almost inevitably consequences, though the nature of these consequences will vary between gods. You were most fortunate to have encountered a peaceful god, Link.

"The result of your encounter with the Wind Fish gave you the ability to traverse between the Light World and the place that your heart most desired to be. Because that place was in the Realm of Dreams, you are only able to go there while asleep in the Light World. This of course, also explains why your consciousness switches between bodies in both worlds."

_The scenery of Hyrule Field blew away, and they had returned back to the strange, misty place they had been in at the beginning. Link reached up to the scar on his cheek as he thought about what the Hero's Shade had just said about the worlds. Was it really possible that both existed? Not only that; could he really travel freely between the worlds? Despite the fact that he had been doing it for half a year now, to be told that that was what was happening felt almost surreal._

"You appear to comprehend this information. Now that you understand, I shall inform you of the reason I have appeared before you."

_In an instant, the Hero's Shade drew its sword and stabbed it straight into the ground. Resting its hands on the pommel at the end of the hilt, the warrior almost seemed to grow in size as it took on a wider, more intimidating stance._

"The distinction between the worlds you are able to travel between has begun to weaken. This is apparent from the scar on your face and what you have convinced yourself are visual fallacies and tricks. Your body in one world now equally affects your body in the other world, which was not the case when you first awoke in the World of Light. When the barrier between worlds has grown too weak to sustain you any longer, that is when I shall come to claim you."

"_H-Hold on a second!" Link shouted, feeling as though things had just taken on a much more dire pace. "How will I know when my time is up?! Is there no way to prevent any of this?! For such a benevolent god, the Wind Fish really screwed me over here, didn't it? Sure, I was upset when I found out Koholint was nothing more than its dream, but if it means spending the rest of eternity in this empty place, then I would've been fine not being able to go back and forth in my sleep!"_

_The skeletal warrior did not physically react to Link's words, though its glowing eye seemed to scan him again._

"There is but one way to prevent yourself from replacing me in this realm. To do so, you would have to give up your life in one of the two worlds you now inhabit. If you choose one world and forsake the other, I shall send you to that world and close off the passage that keeps you connected."

_Link was stunned by how easily it seemed to give up the answer. He would expect that something that had existed in this realm for so long would do whatever it took to find a replacement so that it could be at peace. At the same time, the Hero's Shade did not seem to have any sort of emotion or motive, so perhaps it was simply following whatever rules governed this place. All that mattered at this point was that Link not become the next resident of this eternal realm._

"_H-How long do I have to decide?" he stammered. "I'm not sure I can just pick a world all of a sudden."_

"The markings of Aetas work as a time limit. It is unclear exactly why these markings manifest on those who have encountered gods, but they appear on nearly all who have. When the last marking on your body disappears, that is when the barrier has become too weak to sustain you and the worlds for any longer. If you have not come to me with your decision before that time, you shall become the next messenger, tasked with this duty of warning and informing those with fates similar to your own."

_The Hero's Shade pulled its blade from the ground and pointed it at Link in the manner it had when they first encountered one another. A gust of wind started to blow from behind it, billowing its cape in the blond's direction. As the wind began to pick up, glowing markings of Aetas appeared all around the armour of the Hero's Shade in a way that made them resemble chains. These chains seemed to keep the warrior grounded as the wind picked up immensely, forcing Link to fight against it to stay in place._

"_How will I find you?!" the blond shouted over the wind howling in his ears._

"Should you ever have need of me, simply summon me with the power of your will. Whether it is the Realm of Dreams or the Light World, I shall be there. Think hard on what you wish to do. Until we meet again, farewell, Link."

_The wind picked up incredibly when the last words echoed in Link's head. Unable to keep his eyes open against it as he tried to fight back, the blond could keep his feet planted no longer. With an unheard cry, he was blown back through the air, flipping continuously until he felt a solid surface beneath his back._

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

Link awoke to the feeling of something damp prodding at his face. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of Epona's muzzle and a bright blue sky. The horse's breaths tickled his face as she continued to prod at him. She backed off when he slowly reached up to stroke her face, letting her know that he was okay. With a grunt, the warrior sat up and gazed around.

Though it only felt as though he had spoken with the Hero's Shade for an hour or so, there was no denying the fact that it was now morning. The late autumn sun slightly peeked over the cliffs surrounding Lake Hylia, casting its cool warmth only on the opposite edge of the area.

"Mal's gonna be pissed," Link sighed as he stood up and stretched his cold, stiff limbs. "I wonder if I can just tell her what happened."

Epona whinnied as if to laugh at the very idea of telling Malon about how he'd impulsively chased after a talking golden wolf before getting sent into a nonexistent space with a skeleton warrior that would claim his soul. Even if he somehow built up the nerve to tell her that, she would probably still get mad that he dragged Epona off to go wolf hunting.

Brushing off any frost and dew from his body, Link hopped around a bit to warm up before climbing onto Epona's back. With one glance back at the rippling lake, Link spurred the horse on and made his way back towards Lon Lon Ranch.

Racing across the open fields, Link could not even attempt to direct his thoughts away from what had happened last night. All this time, he had treated Koholint as nothing more than a dream, acting on his emotions and doing whatever he felt like there because he did not expect there to be consequences – at least none that would actually affect him. Now that he'd been informed of its authenticity, there were countless things he regretted about that world.

And yet, despite his regrets, the newfound knowledge that Koholint was real excited him to no end. The place he had originally planned to settle down in was real, and so was the woman he had fallen so madly in love with. Marin wasn't just some subconscious thought conjured up by his dreaming mind; she was actually there in another world. Every time he spoke to her, laughed with her, touched her, held her, did anything with her, she was truly there with him. He could see her again and again, and all he would have to do was wait until he fell asleep in this world. If he wanted to, he could even give up this world and stay there with Marin.

The giddy feeling within him suddenly dropped as that thought crossed Link's mind. Perhaps he had gotten too far ahead of himself in his excitement. To permanently reside in one world, he would have to forsake the other. What would that mean for this world if he decided to make the Realm of Dreams his real world? Would this place still exist if he were to leave Koholint and cross the sea? What about the people: Malon and Talon? Would they simply cease to exist in his life?

He slowed Epona's pace as the ranch came into view behind a hill. Was it really right for him to leave this place now that he knew he could return? Though he had been purposely vague, he had certainly told Malon quite a bit about his experiences in the past, including parts from Koholint. Not only that, but he and Malon had just begun to take their relationship beyond the sibling-like bond they had shared before. He couldn't tell her out of the blue that he was leaving with no intention of coming back now; it would be unfair to her, and he couldn't exactly say that he _did_ want to choose the Realm of Dreams over the Light World. Even if he had decided, he wasn't sure he had the heart to tell her so…

When it came down to it, Link realized that he had spent an equal, if not longer, amount of time on the ranch as he had on Koholint (though this only made sense if he excluded the time he was unaware that his dreams were actually a passage to another world). He knew that he had strong feelings for Marin, but perhaps the two of them had been hasty and overly excited about their first prospects of romance. Compared to that relationship, Link could not deny that the pace he had been moving with Malon was much more realistic under the circumstances. He could easily argue that the woman he truly cared for more was Malon.

Of course, this argument would all be internal, as this was not really something he could discuss with either of the redheads; at least, not until he had become fairly certain of his decision. Could he take this up with Talon or one of the residents of Mabe Village? Even if he did, he suspected that they would give him unhelpful advice or tell him that it wasn't their decision to make.

Link sighed in exasperation as Epona trotted up the entrance leading into the ranch. A loud sneeze came from the upstairs window as they passed by the house, reminding Link that Talon was unable to work for the next short while. The horses hadn't come out of the stables and it looked as though none of the usual morning duties had been completed. The blond began to feel guilty that Malon may have been too busy taking care of her father to manage the usual morning routine on time. With that thought in mind, he quickly led Epona into the corral and let the horses out of the stables before heading towards the house.

Stealthily creeping through the doorway, Link glanced around to see if Malon was planning to ambush him for running off with Epona all night without a word; however, the reason she had not gotten to her morning duties as usual became apparent when he spotted her in the kitchen.

With her arms crossed on the table and her head resting on top of them, the rancher's red hair cascaded down the edge of the table. Her sleeping face seemed troubled and her body shivered occasionally between the movements of her breathing. Having already been out in the cold in naught but his casual clothes, Link could understand why she would be shivering right now.

Stepping gingerly over to where she was, the blond silently gazed at her as he tried to determine whether he should carry her to her room or not. He didn't exactly feel good that she had probably fallen asleep down here while waiting for him to come home, so the least he could do was let her sleep somewhere more comfortable. Maybe it would make his apology to her go over a bit better, though he severely doubted that.

The redhead shifted slightly, allowing one of her hands to come out from under her elbow. Link began to reach for it, but stopped partway as a pang of guilt struck his chest. How could he make such a move when earlier he had been so quick to think of letting this world disappear? Sure, he had been excited to discover Koholint's reality, but that did not make this world any less real, and his feelings for Malon did not suddenly disappear either.

He shook his head and continued to reach for her hand. It didn't matter what he had thought earlier in his sudden gaiety, for he had since cleared his head so that he could be level about the whole situation. Gently interlocking his fingers with Malon's, the softness of her hand helped him feel relaxed. Smiling, he brushed some of the hair from her face so that he could get a proper look at her. Then, without warning, Malon's eyes shot open and her soft hand aggressively gripped onto him in an instant.

Caught by surprise, Link was easily brought to the ground and pinned in one clean motion. Dazed for a moment, he found that the girl who had been sleeping just moments ago was now pinning his arms back while one of her knees rested firmly on his torso.

"U-Uh, 'morning, Mal," he sputtered dumbly, grunting in pain as she dug her knee into his chest.

"You. Explain. Now." She growled angrily, and rightfully so. He had expected her to get angry, but the energy she had to pin him down like this after just waking up was nothing short of shocking.

"Ehehe…where to begin?"

"How about the fact that you left without a word after stealing not only Epona but my best knife too?!"

"Out of all the things I did wrong, you're singling out the knife? OWOWOWOWOW, okay, that knife is important, I get it!"

Link felt his lungs expand significantly as Malon sighed and got off of him. Rubbing the sore spot on his chest, he stood up and followed her over to the couch where she sat down and promptly waited for him to explain himself.

For the next while, Link did what he could to tell her what happened while trying to downplay anything she might view as absurd. The golden wolf became a pack of regular wolves, the experience at the lake turned into fighting them off, and the strange dream was left out altogether, instead getting replaced with a simple passing out from exhaustion. In all honesty, he wasn't surprised by the skeptical look Malon was giving him when he finished up his story.

"I don't get why you had to chase them that far," she grumbled.

"I-I just had to make sure they wouldn't come back."

"So you ended up fighting a pack of wolves by yourself with my cooking knife _just_ to make sure they didn't come back?"

"A knife is basically like a little sword…"

"And you didn't worry about Epona's safety at all?"

"She…didn't get hurt, so it's fine, isn't it?"

Malon pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Whether she was in complete disbelief or simply annoyed beyond reason, Link realized that there wasn't much he could say to make the situation any better. He coughed a few times and sniffled as his nose began to run.

For the umpteenth time since she'd woken up, Malon sighed. Standing up and placing the back of her hand on his forehead her shoulders drooped.

"You and Dad both," she groaned. "What am I going to do with the two of you?"

"Heh, you sound like you're our mom or something."

The look she gave him was one of pure unamusement. "Just go on up to bed, Link. I'll take care of everything today."

"Y-You sure?" he asked as she pushed him towards the stairs. "I did sleep all night, so I'm not out of energy or anything."

"Considering it's almost winter and you slept outside in a light shirt and pants after fighting off a pack of wolves, I'd say that I'm the one in the right here."

Link couldn't argue that point, so instead of countering he simply allowed her to lead him to his room. Kicking off his boots at the foot of the bed, the blond gratefully climbed under the covers and smiled at Malon. She still didn't look all too impressed with him, but there was nothing he could do about that right now.

"Sorry to make you keep worrying about me," he apologized lightly. "I know you're mad, but it makes me happy that you're still willing to look after me."

The redhead sighed once again and took a seat in the chair next to his bed. Gently taking his hand, she gave him a soft smile, though her concerned look still had a hint of irritation hidden behind it.

"Sometimes you're really unbelievable, you know that?" she chuckled dryly, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. "Typically not in the best of ways either. I don't know how you managed to survive on your own for so long, but it's almost like it's become my job to look out for you."

"You seem to have the babysitting role down pretty well."

"Call it what you want; I told you that I wouldn't let you go so easily, remember? It doesn't matter if we get in a fight or one of us does something stupid – even though that's probably going to be you most of the time – I'm always going to be here for you at the end of the day. I…um…I really care about you, Link… I don't like it when you do stuff like this but just because you do doesn't mean I'm going to stop lo–…I mean, caring about you."

She averted her gaze slightly, but Link could only smile and hold onto her hand a little tighter.

"I think you had one sentence too many in there."

She giggled a bit and blushed cutely as she turned her gaze back to him. If not for this amazing girl sitting here beside him, the choice between the Realm of Dreams and the Light World would not be much of a choice at all. Instead, Malon's very presence made his head and heart question whether Koholint was the right place for him or not. With only a few simple words, she could probably sway him more towards staying here.

"I should probably go see how Dad's doing before I get to work," she said, loosening her grip on his hand. "I've probably got a long day ahead of me if I'm going to be doing all the work." She got up and headed for the doorway but turned over her shoulder to add something else. "I'll, um…check on you later, okay?"

"Okay, see you later," Link said, watching her leave before tucking himself under the blankets. Though he didn't feel particularly tired, the slight fever he was running would probably make it possible for him to fall asleep. The blond shut his eyes and turned on his side as he let his consciousness slip.

"Guess…I'd better go…see Marin too…"

∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆

Insects buzzed loudly outside as Link opened his eyes to the darkened house. As expected, it was nighttime here, always working in opposition to the time in the other world. As Link sat up in his bed, he noticed a sign on the door with Tarin's messy handwriting scribbled onto it. He couldn't read it from here, but it probably said something like he would be out all night picking mushrooms or something silly like that.

The second thing Link noticed was that Marin was not in her bed. Though it wasn't particularly late in this world, it was still quite dark out, and for the past few nights it had gotten rather misty, making travelling around somewhat dangerous. However, looking out the window this night showed that the air was clear.

Kicking off the covers, the hero quickly headed out of the house to search for Marin. As he stepped out into the brisk, night air, he contemplated where she might be. His first thought was the shack, though it would seem odd for her to go there without him. Nevertheless, thinking that to be the most likely place, Link headed down towards the beach, excited to see her for what felt like the first time in ages.

The sound of waves soon began to replace the insects as Link got closer to the ocean. Before he could turn down the hidden path that would lead him to the shack, the sound of Marin's singing coming from another direction caught his attention. Stopping in his tracks, he pinpointed where it was coming from and hurried off to the beach cliff.

She was a beautiful sight to behold, even from this distance. Though she faced towards the water, the way the moon shone down on her frame as the breeze billowed her hair and dress only served to send Link into a state of awe. With each weighted step, she became closer and closer to him, causing his heart to beat faster the closer he got to her.

A small creature climbed down her body from her shoulder and scurried over to him, revealing itself to be the baby octorok they had been keeping in the shack. As it crawled up onto his shoulder, Marin turned about to face Link, bringing her hand up to keep her flowing red locks from covering her face.

"So, you're finally awake," she chortled musically. "I didn't realize you were tired enough to sleep through the entire day."

Link could not even respond as he finally got close enough to stop walking. Regardless of the fact that he had been seeing her every night for the past half year, it truly felt like he was seeing Marin for the first time since the Wind Fish's dream ended. He had never treated her like she was a real person in the past months, so to finally understand that she was actually here, able to speak, laugh, and touch, was almost more than he could handle. With shaking hands, he slowly reached for hers, wanting to touch her and confirm that she really was here.

"What's the matter?" she asked, cocking her head slightly but allowing him to take her hands. "You aren't going to have another panic attack, are you?"

With both her vocal and physical responses so natural, Link could not hold himself back any longer, and quickly wrapped her in a loving embrace. The octorok fell off his shoulder and Marin yelped slightly at the sudden action, too stunned by the suddenness to return the embrace.

"Marin," Link muttered, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "Marin…I…I… You don't know how much I've missed you. How much I've wanted to talk to you and hold you like this again."

Though it took a few moments, the warrior could feel Marin's arms slowly and somewhat confusedly wrap around his back as her surprise wore off.

"Um…well, gosh, that's sweet of you, Link," she said with an unsure chuckle. "You were only asleep for yesterday night and all of today, so it hasn't really been _that_ long since we last saw each other. Not that I'm opposed to this unrestrained show of affection."

He couldn't help but laugh, not only from her words but from his own feelings of euphoria as well. There was no possible way for her to know how he was feeling, and he didn't care that she couldn't. Link only wanted to hold her and be close to her like this. He had to make up for the time he had been screwing around because he was convinced she was nothing more than a dream. Even if he was on a time limit and had to make a decision, the only fair thing to do would be to make up for his 'lost time' with Marin. Would this be considered two-timing? Well, considering that neither Malon nor Marin existed in the other's world, he was more inclined to say that it was not.

"Heehee, what's gotten into you, Link?" Marin giggled as they began swaying back and forth playfully. "You're so…cuddly tonight. I wouldn't say it's unlike you, but there isn't really an occasion."

"Does there need to be one?" he chuckled. "I just realized how happy I am to get to be with you, and I'm going to make sure that everything we do is done right."

In their playfulness, they stumbled until Marin landed on top of Link. Rather than concerning themselves over how close they were to falling off the cliff and into the water, the young couple broke out into a fit of laughter and continued to hold one another as they lay on the ground. So enthralled by their own happiness, neither paid any heed to the octorok that scuttled around them, panicking because it did not understand what was going on.

When their laughter finally settled down to a reasonable rate, Marin placed a strong and loving kiss on the blond's lips, sending his insides into flutters for yet another time this evening. As she pulled away, the redhead fixed the orchid in her hair and smiled down at him.

"If this is any sign of how the rest of our lives will go, then I'll make sure never to forget a single moment of it."

Link pulled her close to him again and spoke softly into her ear.

"And I'll make sure that not a single moment we have together is wasted."

* * *

SO. MUCH. FLUFF. YEEEEEEEES!

Well, maybe not as much as I'm thinking, but I really wanted the whole scene with Marin to be enough fluff that you could choke on it. It should make sense, too; he's finally found out she's real, so it really is like he's meeting her all over again. And in case anyone was wondering why the segment with Marin wasn't in italics like it usually is, it's because Link no longer sees the world as some kind of subconscious location; it's an actual place in the Realm of Dreams, which puts it on equal ground to the Light World.

Aetas is a Latin word for time or age (as far as Google translate tells me :P). I doubt anyone was really interested in knowing but I figured I might as well share that for any of the more curious readers.

So, what did you guys think of the big reveal chapter? I know it took a while for me to post it, but I'm hoping it was worth the wait. The only thing I was iffy about was how quickly things got explained in the first part. That could also just be me because I've been thinking about this chapter and the end of chapter twelve since I started this story, so finally getting to write them was like emptying a large portion of my head into this chapter. I'm sure it'll be like that when I reach the end as well, but until that point I'm okay with holding onto those ideas.

Thanks to **9tailsfox2, Temuho, Sylis, Anytime, Nalt, **and **MadSkillz** for reviewing!

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


	14. Realms: Light

So, can anyone tell me what happens when you put finals and general laziness together? That's right, an almost three-month long delay on updates! Ugh, sorry, I've been trying to balance my school stuff, game making/playing, music composing, and writing (not to mention other recreational stuff and my recent ambition to work off this winter belly before the end of spring :P), and unfortunately writing has been taking a backseat to everything else. I really want to say that updates will pick up now that I'm finished school, but I can't really make any promises what with work and my extra-curricular stuff.

I'm going to make this clear here, though: I am not abandoning this story (nor any of the others I'm currently writing). Once I've posted the next chapter for one of my other stories, I may go on a hiatus to rearrange my priorities. I expect that of the three stories I'm writing, I may pick one to focus on, get it finished, and then move on to the next, and eventually move on to the last one. By doing this, I suspect that I'll be able to get the stories finished quicker (mainly due to my attention being focused on one plot at a time as opposed to three) and that a break will be well worth it.

Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one

* * *

_Realms: Light_

"The barrier between worlds is weakening, huh…? I suppose that would explain this, but still…"

Link recalled the words of the Hero's Shade, instinctively touched the scar on his face, and scratched his head in slight confusion. How intensely had the barrier separating worlds gotten that something like this could have happened? Better yet, what was he supposed to tell Talon and Malon when one of them found out for themselves?

He was usually quick to get up from bed upon returning to the Light World, but when he fell asleep in the Realm of Dreams beside Marin, Link could not have predicted that he would bring an unexpected guest along with him. Thankfully it was not Marin, but he could not shake his feelings of anxiety when he opened his eyes and came face-to-face with a baby octorok nestled on his chest.

There was no mistaking that vibrant red colour that the octoroks of Hyrule did not seem to possess – not to mention that the same creature in this kingdom seemed to be strictly aquatic in nature. Any way he looked at it, this was the monster that he and Marin had been keeping as a pet back on Koholint.

"Is something like this…even possible?" he mumbled, poking the creature as if to check if it were actually there.

"Link," Malon's voice came in through the shut door, "are you awake?"

Slightly panicked, he quickly grabbed the relaxed creature sitting on his chest and fumbled around as he tried to figure out where to put it. If there were ever a time to be thankful that it didn't make any vocal sounds, now was that time.

"U-Uh, yeah, just give me a second!"

"Oh, don't rush yourself. I was just going to say that there isn't too much work to do today since it's raining so hard."

Link breathed a sigh of relief and gently placed the squirming monster on the ground, where it frantically scuttled beneath the bed. Once Malon's footsteps had descended to the ground floor, he shook his head and stood to get dressed.

Only now noticing the sound of the heavy rain battering against the roof, Link drew the curtains to let some light into the room. As expected, none of the animals were out wandering about the ranch, and Talon's stocky, raincoat-wearing figure seemed to be setting up a tarp overtop of the extra firewood he couldn't store inside.

Link felt the octorok prodding at his heel, which reminded him of the markings on his arms. Was it possible that most of them had disappeared while he was asleep, or rather awake in the other world? Wishing to find out, he strode back to his bedside table where the hand mirror was kept in a drawer. Retrieving it and stepping back towards the window for light, Link crossed his left arm in front of his chest and held the mirror in front of it to get a look.

From what he could tell, the markings were almost the same as they were yesterday. It hadn't been long since his encounter with the Hero's Shade, and it seemed to make sense that only a few markings of Aetas near his left shoulder blade had disappeared since then. Link had made it a habit to check these markings each time he awoke in either world and so far there had been no surprises.

Yet, despite the steady rate of disappearance, the fact that the octorok had somehow crossed the barrier with his consciousness could not be ignored. How skewed had the barrier become that physical beings were now transferring alongside him? Would things continue to get worse as time continued? The octorok was one thing, but what Link feared most was having something as substantial as another person getting sent across the barrier by mistake. He didn't even want to imagine what misfortune might befall him if Malon or Marin crossed over to the other world.

Putting the mirror back where it belonged, Link changed into his warm daytime clothes and contemplated what he should do with the baby octorok. Considering they lived on a ranch, he didn't imagine Malon or Talon having much of a problem with one more creature being around, but he was at a loss for how to explain his acquisition of the foreign monster. Another thought that had crossed his mind was that this could be another trick of his consciousness, and even if he could physically see and feel the octorok, there was always the possibility that no one else in this world could.

"Sorry, little guy," he apologized and picked the creature up before stashing it in the closet. It made some light bumps against the shut door, but the sound would not be noticeable from outside with the door to the room shut.

After quickly dousing his face with some water in the bathroom, Link made his way downstairs. Making quick work of the plate of food left for him on the table, he hurried the short distance from the house to the barn to avoid getting drenched by the rain.

Malon was inside, sitting on a bale of hay while she sewed together what looked to be an oddly shaped blanket of some sort. A quick glance at one of the cows made it clear to Link that it was indeed a blanket, probably for keeping them warm in the wintertime. Though the rain still made it seem like autumn, there was no denying the colder temperatures sweeping across Hyrule. With that thought in mind, Link rubbed his hands together and breathed into them before walking up to the seamstress.

"Anything I can help with?" he asked.

Malon stayed her hand and paused for a moment to think before looking up at him with a teasing smile. "Only if you know how to work a needle."

"Hey, I've patched up some of my clothes before," he chuckled. "Though I can't say I'm familiar with how to make a cow blanket."

She laughed and scooted over on the makeshift bench, gesturing for him to sit beside her. He complied and sighed at the warmth provided by both the blanket and the proximity of Malon's body beside him.

"No matter where we store these, the moths seem to find them every year and just have at it," the redhead said as she sewed a patch over one of the numerous holes. "For a while, we just bought fabric and made new ones every year, but things are a lot more expensive nowadays. Heehee, Dad always tries to barter with the fabric salesmen but it never seems to go his way; he just doesn't have a head for business."

"Oh?" Link hummed amusedly while holding the blanket steady for her. "For a guy who's been running a ranch for his entire life, he's got to be somewhat adequate at business."

Malon giggled and shook her head. "You would think so, but he's more of a farmhand than a negotiator. His parents ran the ranch when he was a kid, then my mom took care of the business side after they passed away. I didn't realize at the time, but the first few years after she died were pretty chaotic while he was trying to figure everything out."

"I can only imagine."

Link turned to look at Malon as she continued peacefully sewing away at the tattered blanket. Even if her mother's passing had happened a long time ago, he found himself in awe of how mentally strong she was. The fact that she was here now, living a completely normal life with only her father after all the hardship they had been through together was much more than he felt he would have been able to bear had their roles been reversed. Of course, he'd had his fair share of hardships as well, but the only death he'd ever had to deal with was Marin's disappearance, and even then she hadn't exactly died per se, nor was she missing from his life now.

"Haha, well, you might not believe it, but I pretty much learned how to balance the books before I hit double-digits," Malon laughed, snapping Link from his thoughts. "I think Dad went and prayed at her grave every day for two months straight to thank her for passing her brains on to me."

"Before you were ten, huh?" Link nudged her side playfully. "Seems like an exaggeration for someone who never went to school like all the kids in town."

"Hey, don't be mean!" she continued laughing and nudged him back. "My mom was gone by the time I was old enough to actually start going to school, and Dad was already having enough trouble as it was trying to handle the business side of things on top of working and taking care of me. Besides, I know everything I need to run this ranch on my own, so who needs school?"

Link caught Malon off-guard and poked her in the side. With a light squeal, she flung the blanket upwards and created an opening for him to wrap her in a playful embrace. The two fell into a fit of giggles as the blanket lazily flopped back onto their legs.

"I guess…" the blond started once their laughter had died down, "you'd be able to handle things if I wasn't able to stick around."

She didn't say anything at first, much to Link's expectations. It wasn't something he'd particularly wanted to say, but he doubted that there would be many opportunities like this one in which he could simply slip this topic into the conversation. With his forehead resting against the side of her head, he couldn't see her expression, nor did he want to if his words had brought her pain.

With her arms still wrapped around his torso, he could feel her grip loosen slightly as her shoulders sank. He shut his eyes and apologized to her in his head, angry that there was no better method he could think of for this to happen.

"Of course," she spoke quietly, a playful lilt fighting against the obvious downcast tone of her voice. "Like I said, I know everything there is to know about running this place; I-I've been doing it for more than ten years now."

If he could think of the right words to say, Link would have stopped her there and switched the topic of conversation right then. Despite being the one to bring it up, he already hated himself for upsetting her, and her attempts to mask the bereavement in her voice only furthered his self-directed displeasure.

"But you know," she continued, tightening her grip on him once again, "even if I know how to, I doubt I could actually do it on my own. I don't mean to condemn him or anything, but Dad won't be around forever, though I'm sure he's going to keep on kicking for quite some time. I don't know how he managed to do it on his own, but keeping this ranch running solo is just something I don't think I have the capacity to do. That's why I…I…"

"Mal…" He moved to look at her face, but she stopped him and took a couple deep breaths before continuing.

"That's only part of the reason I want you to stay here. I don't think I'd be able to do it without you, and more than that I don't _want_ to do it without you. I'm being selfish and completely disregarding how you might feel, but…I don't know. The thought of what things might be like if you left hadn't crossed my mind for a while now, and the time before you started feeling like family is more of a distant memory now than something that actually happened. Link, you must be able to relate to how I'm feeling on some level, right?"

Of course he could; he would have to be completely ignorant not to understand her feelings or her reason for saying what she was right now. He wanted to make a promise to her that he would stay here, cast away his other duties, and spend the rest of his days on this ranch, but his conscience told him he simply could not do that. For one, such a promise would be made on empty and hollow words, said only to make her feel better; the other reason would be that to make such a promise would mean forsaking Marin without properly thinking over his true decision. Regardless, Malon was smart enough to suspect the former even if he were to make that promise.

"Sorry," she said softly after the short silence that ensued. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot, Link. I, um…may have gone a little overboard there."

He suddenly felt quite a bit colder as Malon released his torso from her embrace. Though he opened his mouth to speak, Link could not find the proper words to say as he watched her pick up the needle and resume patching up the blanket.

"N-No," he managed to stammer out dumbly. She hardly took any notice, so he cleared his throat and tried to speak again. "No, Mal, you're…you're being completely reasonable. I mean, after all we've been through together, it's way more selfish of me to suggest leaving at this point."

"It isn't selfish," she responded quickly, though she did not look up from her needlework. "From the moment you first got here it was clear that you would continue on your journey someday. The only reason you're still here is because…well, I think it's because you're trying not to hurt me."

"That's not true!" he said, grasping her hands as he continued their back and forth blame-taking. "I'm not staying with you only so that your feelings don't get hurt; I really care about you a lot, Mal. I honestly feel the same way about you that I'm assuming you do about me, and the reason I can't make any promises is because…because…"

The blond suddenly found his words caught in his throat as he tried to determine what it was he was going to say to the forlorn woman beside him. Multiple thoughts raced through his head, but none could be easily explained or elaborated on if spoken aloud: because he was going to disappear, because he had to choose between two worlds or risk fading from existence, because the woman he had loved before was now suddenly in his life once again? No matter what he chose to say, it could take days to fully explain what he meant to the point where Malon could possibly comprehend.

However, the door to the barn swung open before he was able to say anything, and the two hastily jumped into a less affectionate sitting position as Talon stepped inside.

"Hoo, it's really comin' down out there!" the moustached rancher whistled. "Guess they don't call it "fall" for nothin', eh? Hahaha!"

"I'm pretty sure that has to do with the leaves, Dad," Malon giggled, completely hiding any sense of sorrow she had been showing moments before.

"Heh, well, I reckon it's only a matter o' time before all that rain starts turnin' into snow. Speakin' o' which, I'm gonna be away on business a few days from now. Since it'll be winter soon, everyone from everywhere's tryin' to stock up for the cold weather. I should only be gone for a couple weeks at most, but if that darn snow starts fallin', I might end up stranded in one o' the towns. You can keep the place runnin' while I'm gone, can't ya, Mal?"

"Sure thing; there isn't much work that needs to get done during the winter anyway. Make sure you don't forget the merchant notes I wrote up for you, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Link, don't you go breaking anythin' while I'm away, y'hear?"

"And here I planned on burning the place down the moment you left the ranch."

"Heh, little punk. Anyway, back into the rain for this old coot. Don't get too frisky in here now."

With that, Talon checked that his jacket was bundled up as much as possible before he stepped back out the barn doors, leaving Link and Malon alone once again. Only the sound of rain battering against the roof could be heard as Malon stood to put the freshly patched blanket on one of the cows. Wordlessly picking up the next hole-infested blanket, she took a seat next to Link again and went about her needlework.

Link quickly lost track of how long he had been sitting here with Malon as she continued to patch up blankets. It could have been hours or it could have been minutes; he simply could not tell any longer, and the fact that neither had said a word since Talon stepped out of the barn only made him feel uncomfortable.

Yet, despite his discomfort, he knew that it would only weigh on his conscience more if he left Malon to work alone. Not only would that mean leaving her when she was clearly still upset over what he had said, but it would also mean abandoning his chores (though it was clear that he was doing little, if anything, to help at the moment).

"Can I ask you something?" With the only sound being the rain for the past while, Link jumped in surprise when the foreign sound of Malon's voice permeated his eardrums. Still in shock, he simply nodded in response. "I…I've been thinking about this for the past hour or so, and I realized…"

She ran a hand through her red locks, seeming somewhat flustered and unable to find the right words to ask what she wanted to. That or it was difficult to voice what she wanted to say to him. Link could only sit and wait in curious patience as she fumbled to find the right words.

"Well…" she said after a fair amount of finger-twiddling and heel-rocking, "it never seemed too important before, but now I'm wondering…why did you decide to stay?"

He blinked plainly as if expecting her to elaborate some more on her question. When she did not, Link simply cocked his head to the side and scratched at his hair.

"Er… I suppose…because I wanted to?"

It was clear that Malon knew she had not been clear enough with her question, as she shook her head and combed through her hair again. "No, I mean…you always planned on leaving, so what kept you from going as soon as you could?"

He paused to reflect on the past, trying to pinpoint the exact time that he could have left. At first, he was only staying on the ranch out of obligation; despite Talon saying that he didn't owe them anything, Link felt he had to repay them by working on the ranch for a while. Try as he might, though, the blond could not think of an exact time when he had forsaken leaving for staying a little longer, which of course turned into staying all the way until this point in time.

"To be honest, and I'm not sure you'll be satisfied with this, but I'm not exactly sure myself. I remember your dad telling me at some point that I had done enough work to pay off the debt he wasn't charging me for, but that was before I had realized any sort of feelings for you… Maybe it was because it was comfortable here, but at the same time I know that I wanted to avoid pushing my problems onto the two of you."

Link forced himself to think back on those early days on the ranch, but there was no particularly specific reason as to why he had chosen to stay here instead of leaving. Perhaps staying was the wrong choice, as he now found himself in this predicament between worlds. Had he left back when he had the chance, he would have no regrets choosing the Dream Realm over the Light World when the opportunity eventually presented itself.

And yet, even though he knew things would have been easier that way, there was no doubt in his mind that this was where he wanted to be, at least while he was in this world. It was not simply a matter of what would have been the easiest route to travel; Link was certain that being at the ranch and staying here was something that was meant to happen. He may not have carved this fate out for himself, but as far as things were going, this was where he felt the happiest in this world.

"I…understand," Malon mumbled. Though she had a slight frown on her face, he was relieved to see the edges of her lips curl up a few moments later. "Well, maybe I don't really understand, but I can't say I'm unhappy you decided to stay. You've said before that leaving would be because of personal things related to your past, and even though I don't want you to leave, I can't force you to stay either. Just…promise that you won't go without giving me…a-and Dad a proper goodbye."

He couldn't hide the dropping feeling in his chest as those last few words processed in his head. The way she spoke…it was as if he had already decided he would leave, which was certainly not the case. Right now, if he were forced to make a choice between this world and the Dream Realm, he would most likely end up becoming the next Hero's Shade, as his indecisiveness would prevent him from choosing either world.

"Mal, let me… I can't promise that I'll be here forever, but I want you to know that I don't plan on leaving either, okay? It's too much to try figuring out what the future has in store, so for now…just know that I'm here right now and that I'm going to do whatever I can to make you happy while I am."

Link felt his cheeks get a bit warm as he finished speaking. Though the embarrassment was only slight, he realized that that was something more akin to what he might say to Marin, and that his relationship with Malon was more of the playful, casual type. In that moment, he fully expected the ranch girl to burst into laughter, or at least stifle a some giggles as she asked "What's with you?"

Instead, she quickly glanced away from him, wringing her hands together as her body swayed back and forth a bit. It wouldn't be the first affectionate thing one of them had said to the other, but for whatever reason this atmosphere was similar to the first time they met. With both blushing faces stealing furtive glances at the other, their slightly embarrassed expressions brimmed into bashful grins. Seizing the opportunity, Link slowly got to his feet and stepped towards her, wordlessly encircling his arms around her toned frame with a dumb smile on his face.

He shut his eyes as the pattering of rain lulled them into a comforting atmosphere. Malon's arms crept quietly around his back, warming his body as the embrace was returned. The scent of her hair calmed his senses as he gently tightened his hold on her, reveling in this brief moment of peace and tranquility.

Malon was strong, stronger than any woman– no, any _person_ he could think of. It was thanks to her that he could stand on his own two feet, figuratively and literally. She was there to hear his problems and to soothe the emotional wounds that scarred his battle-hardened heart. He needed her strength, it was something he could not picture himself without.

Yet, it was this strength that made him question staying with her. Even if she claimed she could not run this ranch without him by her side, Link knew those were her emotions speaking for her, as opposed to her actual resolve. If he were to choose the Realm of Dreams, he was certain that Malon would find a way to manage the ranch. It was not as though Talon would also disappear the moment he did, and with her personality and looks, the ranch girl could easily meet someone new, perhaps more helpful at the ranch and better suited for her than he was…

He scrunched his face in disdain at the thought of Malon being with someone else. Whether he liked it or not, one of these women he was with would likely end up with another man, and though he didn't want to imagine that being the case, it was not his place to debate it; not that he would still be around afterwards to do so.

"Link," her soft voice gently sounded in his ear.

"Hmm?"

Her breath tickled his neck as she let out a few stray chuckles. "As much as I'm enjoying this, we'll get in trouble if we don't get back to work."

"O-Oh, right!"

As he slightly scrambled to release her, she only giggled and kept her cool. Her dress twirling as she turned to grab the next hole-ridden blanket, Malon smiled that wonderful smile he had grown to love more with each and every day and gestured for him to come over to where she was. Following with a simple nod, he stepped towards her and the two went about their work as if they had been doing so the entire time.

Malon. She was the strongest person he knew and the one whose strength he needed to help support him. Caring and gentle, strong-willed and playful, she shone like a beacon in the void he was once trapped in.

She was his light in this dreamless world.

* * *

This took me way too long to write and I'm really sorry that it isn't longer (so far it's the second-shortest chapter if you exclude the prologue) and more eventful. Originally I had planned on having a little more happen with the baby octorok, but I figured I could save that for a later time and focus strictly on Malon and Link's relationship this time around. Next chapter will, as you may have guessed, focus on Marin and Link's relationship, so it'll probably be about this length as well; it made more sense to split it up into two chapters rather than trying to write a 9000-word-long chapter.

Anyway, I still haven't decided entirely what I'm going to do about the hiatus thing I mentioned at the top. To explain a little better, I'm writing this, a _Kingdom Hearts_ fic, and a _Golden Sun_ fic all at the same time, with finished plot diagrams for three (technically five but I'm only planning on doing three at most) more waiting to go. Once I've posted the next chapter for the KH one, I'll probably have my mind made up on what I'm going to do. I'll definitely make an announcement on my profile after that if I decide to change things up, so check there if you aren't sure! Even if this one ends up on hiatus, I may still write the next chapter just so I don't feel like I wrote part one of this two-part thing without writing the second. Also feel free to drop me a PM, though, like I said, my mind probably won't be made up until I've posted the next chapter of my KH fic.

_Edit April 30: The details are on my profile, and this story will be going on hiatus until the first story is completed._

Thanks to **Zolias, The Reflecting Bird, Sylis, Guest, Anytime, the elder, **and **yellow** for reviewing!

Thanks for reading and please review!

–_GengaJupite_


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